chubby

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈtʃʌbi/ UK /ˈtʃʌbi/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
plump and rounded in a pleasant way

The chubby toddler clutched a half-eaten apple.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · plump and rounded in a... plump rotund tubby portlypudgyround stout

Opposites

slim thin lean slender gaunt

Word family

Derived forms chubbiness

Related forms chub

Simplified etymology

Chubby originally meant “short and thickset like a chub,” referring to the thick-bodied European river fish. The origin of the fish name chub is unknown.

Etymology

From chub (a thick-bodied river fish) + -y, the sense being 'short and thick like a chub'; chub is of uncertain origin.

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# chubby

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈtʃʌbi/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈtʃʌbi/

## Meanings
1. plump and rounded in a pleasant way

## Examples
- The chubby toddler clutched a half-eaten apple.

## Synonyms
- plump
- rotund
- tubby
- portly
- pudgy
- round
- stout

## Antonyms
- slim
- thin
- lean
- slender
- gaunt

## Derived Forms
- chubbiness

## Related Forms
- chub

## Etymology
From chub (a thick-bodied river fish) + -y, the sense being 'short and thick like a chub'; chub is of uncertain origin.

## AI Etymology
Chubby comes from chub (a thick-bodied river fish) + -y, the sense being 'short and thick like a chub'; chub is of uncertain origin. Morphologically, chubby is transparent: it draws on chub (a thick-bodied river fish) + -y, the sense being 'short and thick like a chub'. Used as an adjective, chubby now means "plump and rounded in a pleasant way", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as chubbiness and related forms such as chub. That uncertainty is part of the entry: the safest account is the attested form and the limited comparisons preserved with it.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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