2
: insufficient in quantity, degree, or extent
3
: hanging straight and limp without spring or curl
lankly
adverb
lankness
noun
Examples of lank in a Sentence
a woman with long, lank hair
right after a shower, her lank hair hung down to her shoulders
Recent Examples on the Web
My Hair Is your hair too frizzy, too lank, too fine, too curly, too anemic, too stringy?
—
Jeanne Malle, Air Mail, 7 Aug. 2025
Her hair is lank across her pillow.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2025
Fast-forward two decades or so, and Ari (Andranic Manet) is a nervous, lank-haired 27-year-old attempting to teach poetry to a rowdy, distracted class of primary school children.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Feb. 2025
Soon everywhere the hair was lank, the poses crumpled and morose, and the Azzedine dresses and bouclé suits traded in for flannels and peasant frocks.
—Sally Singer, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2023
Most versions are also surprisingly lightweight, helping to make locks lustrous but not lank.
—Jamie Wilson, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 June 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Jeanne Malle, Air Mail, 7 Aug. 2025
Her hair is lank across her pillow.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 5 Mar. 2025
Fast-forward two decades or so, and Ari (Andranic Manet) is a nervous, lank-haired 27-year-old attempting to teach poetry to a rowdy, distracted class of primary school children.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 15 Feb. 2025
Soon everywhere the hair was lank, the poses crumpled and morose, and the Azzedine dresses and bouclé suits traded in for flannels and peasant frocks.
—Sally Singer, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2023
Most versions are also surprisingly lightweight, helping to make locks lustrous but not lank.
—Jamie Wilson, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Lank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lank. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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