paunchy

[ pawn-chee, pahn- ]

adjective

, paunch·i·er, paunch·i·est.

1. having a large and protruding belly; potbellied:

   a paunchy middle-aged man.

paunchy

/ ˈpɔːntʃɪ /

adjective

1. having a protruding belly or abdomen

Derived Forms

• ˈpaunchiness, noun

Other Words From

• paunchi·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of paunchy¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; paunch + -y ¹

Example Sentences

The short, paunchy, balding Young was the sort of actor who always seemed to play middle-aged no matter his age.

From Seattle Times

A paunchy, bespectacled, depressed widower with back pain, Farrell oozes melancholy as he checks into a hotel where he hopes to make a love match in 45 days or be turned into the titular animal.

From Salon

Inside the tent, dozens of prospective customers — Algerian generals, representatives of several Asian countries, paunchy men surrounded by grim-faced bodyguards — milled around dioramas featuring Grad missile launchers and checked out shelves lined with weapons.

From Los Angeles Times

Driver, paunchy and swaybacked, is the very model of a modern middle-aged professor, his intellectual curiosity muffled by a certain complacency.

From New York Times

The perennial hard-nosed cop, Franz has a sweaty feast as Sipowicz, a paunchy, loud-dressing, self-destructive, hot-tempered boozer who abducts an obnoxious mobster from a restaurant at gunpoint and assaults him, all in public view.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• big
• bulging
• bulky
• chunky
• heavy
• hefty
• inflated
• large
• meaty
• obese
• plump
• well-fed