stumpy
/'stʌmpi/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Short and thick; having a squat, stocky, or stubby appearance: "stumpy" describes something or someone that is notably short in height but broad or thick in build, often suggesting a lack of gracefulness due to this proportion.
Usage
- The word "stumpy" is typically used as a descriptive adjective. It often carries a slightly informal or blunt tone and is applied to objects, body parts (like legs or fingers), or figures.
- It is used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like 'be' or 'look').
Examples
- Attributive use:
- He had stumpy fingers that made playing the piano difficult.
- The old tree was reduced to a stumpy trunk after the storm.
- Predicative use:
- The bulldog's legs are quite stumpy.
- Without its tail, the lizard looked oddly stumpy.
Advanced Usage
- Comparative and Superlative Forms: "stumpier", "stumpiest".
- Of the two puppies, the corgi is the stumpier one.
- This is the stumpiest candle I've ever seen; it's almost burned down.
Variants and Related Words
- Stump (noun): The remaining base of a tree that has been cut down, or a short, thick remaining part of something. This is the root word from which "stumpy" is derived.
- He sat on the tree stump to rest.
- Stubby (adjective): Very similar in meaning to "stumpy," describing something short and thick.
- He held a stubby pencil.
Synonyms
- Squat: Short and thick; low and broad.
- Dumpy: Short and stout.
- Chunky: Solidly built; thick and short.
- Stocky: Broad and sturdily built.
Antonyms
- Lanky: Tall, thin, and often ungraceful.
- Slender: Gracefully thin.
- Willowy: Tall, slender, and graceful.
Adjective
- short and thick; as e.g. having short legs and heavy musculature
- some people seem born to be square and chunky
- a dumpy little dumpling of a woman
- dachshunds are long lowset dogs with drooping ears
- a little church with a squat tower
- a squatty red smokestack
- a stumpy ungainly figure