portly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I never wanted to play Falstaff,” he says, of Shakespeare’s portly, boastful knight from “Henry IV.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

But instead of portly people enjoying futuristic entertainment, we will all be skinnier thanks to today’s GLP-1 medications.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

As I grew up, a frequent refrain from friends and family members—in particular my zaftig aunts and portly uncles—was to opine about how they wished they were slim like me.

From Slate • Oct. 4, 2023

Ahmed, a portly man sporting a handlebar moustache and his trademark white turban, exuded an aura of fear wherever he went, embodying the archetype of a gangster-politician.

From BBC • May 14, 2023

The innkeeper was a bald, portly fellow named Caverin.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss