Gangly means awkwardly tall and thin. A gangly teenager, gangly limbs, tall and gangly.
It is affectionate and it is nearly always about adolescence, when limbs grow faster than coordination — which is a real effect and not just an impression. It is an American shortening of gangling, which means the same. Note gangle, which barely exists on its own.
1adjectiveganglyAwkwardly tall and thin.
“The gangly young basketball player seemed to be all arms and legs.”
gangly is a quality of build.
Also accepted in games: lanky
An American alteration of gangling, which is related to the verb gang, meaning to go.
An American English alteration of gangling.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA