chubby

[ chuhb-ee ]

adjective

, chub·bi·er, chub·bi·est.

1. round and plump:

   a chubby child; a chubby face.

   Synonyms: roly-poly, fleshy, heavy, pudgy

   Antonyms: skinny, thin, svelte, lean

chubby

/ ˈtʃʌbɪ /

adjective

1. (esp of the human form) plump and round

Derived Forms

• ˈchubbiness, noun

Other Words From

• chubbi·ly adverb
• chubbi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of chubby¹

First recorded in 1605–15; chub + -y ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of chubby¹

C17: perhaps from chub , with reference to the plump shape of the fish

Example Sentences

In a joking manner, Teotico described the co-worker who owed him money as a “chubby Vietnamese guy,” according to homicide investigators.

From Los Angeles Times

They came for the face painting and food, and their concerns are more mundane: teaching kids to read, paying the bills, finding a napkin to clean Popsicle juice off chubby toddler legs.

From Los Angeles Times

“He could get laughs for being funny, not for being the chubby kid,” Florenski told me.

From New York Times

On her windowsill, Al Holden, her son, smiles in a baby portrait, all chubby cheeks and tiny fists.

From New York Times

“You were a little butterball when you were a baby. You had these chubby cheeks that I swear I could’ve kissed all day. It only felt right to call you pumpkin.”

From Literature

Related Words

• chunky
• flabby
• plump
• portly
• pudgy
• stout