What does lankiness mean?
Lankiness is a noun meaning the quality of being lanky: tall, thin, and often somewhat elongated or ungainly in appearance. It describes a physical quality rather than a specific measurement, and it may carry a mildly humorous implication because a lanky form can seem awkward or unusually slender. In ordinary writing, lankiness is less frequent than the adjective lanky, but it is useful when a writer wants to name the quality itself, as in a discussion of a model's proportions or a performer's movement. The word can describe people, animals, plants, and objects, although it is most natural for conspicuously tall, thin forms. Etymologically, it belongs to the English family of lank and lanky: lankiness combines lanky with the noun-forming suffix -ness. Its usefulness lies in expressing a distinct visual impression without requiring a numerical description, while remaining understandable in British and American English.
nounThe condition or quality of being lanky: tall, thin, and often somewhat ungainly in appearance.
- The quality or condition of being tall, thin, and elongated in appearance.
"A touch of lankiness in the model's proportions made the silhouette especially striking."
"The dancer's lankiness gave every movement an effortless, expressive quality."
"In the painting, the model's lankiness is emphasized by the narrow frame."
The regular plural is rarely used because lankiness is normally treated as an uncountable quality.
"The photographs emphasized the models' lankinesses."
Lankiness is the word for a silhouette that seems to have been stretched vertically.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lankiness come from?
Lankiness is an English noun formed by adding the suffix -ness to the adjective lanky. Lanky in turn belongs to the older English family of lank, a word associated with a long, thin form. The straightforward modern lineage is lank, then lanky, and finally lankiness.
How lankiness is actually used
Usually uncountable and neutral to mildly humorous in tone. It can sound somewhat more literary or descriptive than the much more common adjective lanky.
Easily confused with lankiness
Lankiness is the noun naming the quality of being tall and thin, while lanky is the adjective describing someone or something that has that quality.