What does legless mean?
Legless means having no legs or being unable to use one's legs. Its literal use is especially common in descriptions of animals, including certain lizards and amphibians, whose movement depends on a long, flexible body rather than four limbs. In informal contexts, the word can describe a person who is so exhausted, intoxicated, or overcome by laughter that standing or walking seems impossible. This figurative use often adds humor and exaggeration, but it is not appropriate in formal writing. Legless should not be confused with limbless: limbless means lacking all limbs, while legless specifically identifies the absence or loss of legs and can imply that arms or other body parts remain. As an adjective, it normally takes no plural form of its own and is modified according to the noun that follows it, as in "a legless creature."
adjectiveHaving no legs, or unable to use one's legs. The word is often used figuratively to describe someone who is exhausted, intoxicated, or otherwise unable to stand or walk.
- Having no legs, especially as a natural anatomical feature or characteristic of a species.
- Informally, unable to stand or walk because of exhaustion, injury, intoxication, or amusement.
"The injured animal lay legless in the grass."
"Several species of legless lizard live in grassy regions."
"After the long performance, the audience collapsed in their seats, completely legless."
A legless lizard can move across the ground with smooth, snake-like body movements, despite its misleading name.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does legless come from?
The word is formed within English from leg and the Old English-derived suffix -less, meaning "without" or "lacking." It was already in use by the early 17th century for creatures without legs and later acquired a broader figurative sense of being unable to stand or walk.
How legless is actually used
The literal sense is standard in biology and natural-history writing. The figurative sense is informal and typically humorous, especially in British and Australian English; in American English, "drunk" or "unable to stand" may be used instead.
Easily confused with legless
Limbless means having no limbs at all, whereas legless specifically means having no legs and may still have arms or other limbs.