Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Slender and elongated, especially in a way that suggests weakness.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Spindle-like; disproportionately long and slender or slim.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Long and slender, or disproportionately tall and slender. Used in some cases to suggest weakness.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Characteristic of a spindle; slender and of weak appearance.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective long and lean

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Therefore spindly akas and non-buoyant amas are no longer of any use check the ferry in the top photo again and must be discarded in favour of far more buoyant and sturdy amas, as in photos 3 and 4.

    Archive 2008-12-01 2008

  • Therefore spindly akas and non-buoyant amas are no longer of any use check the ferry in the top photo again and must be discarded in favour of far more buoyant and sturdy amas, as in photos 3 and 4.

    [ferry disaster] greed and ignorance 2008

  • The Financial Times called the spindly and demonstrative 38-year-old one of the “Gurus of the Future,” and even conservatives like George Will have written of him approvingly.

    As Markets Quake, Clinton And Obama Grab Econo-Gurus 2008

  • The Financial Times called the spindly and demonstrative 38-year-old one of the “Gurus of the Future,” and even conservatives like George Will have written of him approvingly.

    As Markets Quake, Clinton And Obama Grab Econo-Gurus 2008

  • The south-east Asian variety of the ama really does use an actual log, joined by spindly akas, which don't need to be strongly made because as mentioned already, they are not designed to absorb pressure - they're designed only for delicate balance.

    [ferry disaster] greed and ignorance 2008

  • The south-east Asian variety of the ama really does use an actual log, joined by spindly akas, which don't need to be strongly made because as mentioned already, they are not designed to absorb pressure - they're designed only for delicate balance.

    Archive 2008-12-01 2008

  • For a few fleeting moments Milly recalled the spindly horse and the scrubby boy of the delivery wagon, but for only a few moments.

    One Woman's Life Robert Herrick 1903

  • As they are digested, smaller dwarf galaxies are severely distorted, forming structures such as spindly tendrils and stellar streams that surround their captors.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2010

  • As they are digested, smaller dwarf galaxies are severely distorted, forming structures such as spindly tendrils and stellar streams that surround their captors.

    Yahoo! News: Science News 2010

  • As they are digested, smaller dwarf galaxies are severely distorted, forming structures such as spindly tendrils and stellar streams that surround their captors.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2010

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