Standard Lemma guide

gangling

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Awkwardly tall and thin, ungraceful.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • A gangling teenager.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A member of a gang.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: nonce-word, nonstandard

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

tall and thin

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gangly, lanky

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

tall and thin and having long slender limbs

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a gangling teenager
  • a lanky kid transformed almost overnight into a handsome young man

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: gangly, lanky, rangy

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Perhaps from gangle, from the dialectal gang (“to go, to walk, to proceed”). Compare Swedish gänglig.

Etymology tree English gang Proto-Indo-European *-lósder. Proto-Germanic *-ilaz Proto-Indo-European *-n̥kwo-der.? Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Germanic *-īnaz Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz ? Proto-Germanic *-ingaz Proto-Germanic *-ilingaz Proto-West Germanic *-ling Old English -ling Middle English -ling English -ling English gangling From gang + -ling.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: gànguil — awkwardly tall and thin
  • Czech: vytáhlý — awkwardly tall and thin
  • Czech: čahounský — awkwardly tall and thin
  • Danish: ranglet — awkwardly tall and thin
  • French: dégingandé — awkwardly tall and thin
  • Greek: κρεμανταλάς (kremantalás) — awkwardly tall and thin
  • Hungarian: langaléta — awkwardly tall and thin
  • Hungarian: hórihorgas — awkwardly tall and thin
  • Icelandic: renglulegur — awkwardly tall and thin
  • Italian: allampanato — awkwardly tall and thin
  • Swedish: gänglig — awkwardly tall and thin
  • Yiddish: לאַנג ווי אַ דראָנג (lang vi a drong) — awkwardly tall and thin
  • Yiddish: הויך ווי אַ דראָנג (hoykh vi a drong) — awkwardly tall and thin