Advanced and Proficiency Vocabulary for Exams(e.g.GRE, Banks, Civil Services, SAT / LSAT). For IELTS/TOEFL, and everyday spoken vocabulary, go to our Spoken Vocabulary Database.
fat or rotund
- How to Memorize
- portly - fat
- Analysis
The word ‘portly’ is essentially a more polite and formal way of describing somebody, particularly a man, who is rather fat. It tends to be used more in relation to corpulent middle-aged or older men as opposed to younger ones, who are more likely to be described as ‘stout’ or ‘chubby’.
- Example(s)
My accountant is quite a portly gentleman who clearly spends most of his days sitting behind his desk.
Mike is obsessive about his exercise regime because he is determined not to become a portly middle-aged man.
The portly local mayor cut a cumbersome figure as he delivered a speech at the town event.
