Definition

Adjective: - Having straight legs: Describes a posture, position, or manner of movement in which the legs are not bent at the knees.

Usage

This adjective is used to describe how a person or sometimes an animal holds or moves their legs. It often implies a lack of bend in the knee joint, which can convey rigidity, formality, or a specific style of movement.

Examples

• She sat straight-legged on the floor, reaching for her toes.
• The soldier stood straight-legged and rigid during the inspection.
• He walked with a straight-legged gait that made him look very stiff.

Advanced Usage

• "straight-legged" as an adverb: While primarily an adjective, it can function adverbially in informal contexts to describe the manner of an action.
  • He jumped straight-legged over the puddle. (Here, "straight-legged" describes how he jumped.)

Variants and Related Words

• Straight-leg (adjective): Used attributively to describe a type of clothing, especially trousers, that are cut without a taper or bend at the knee.
  • He prefers straight-leg jeans to skinny ones.

Synonyms

• Stiff-legged: Having legs that are rigid and not bending.
• Unbent: Not bent or curved (can apply to legs in context).

Antonyms

• Bent-legged: Having legs that are bent at the knees.
• Flexed: Having joints that are bent.

Notes

The term is typically hyphenated when used as a compound adjective before a noun (e.g., a straight-legged stance). It is a descriptive term most commonly applied to human posture and movement.

Adjective

1. having straight legs