[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/portly/)

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# portly

adjective (portly, portlier, portliest)

«portly» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

(of a person, usually an older man) Rather fat, with a large round body; a polite or old-fashioned word. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/portly/#m1)

### In the lessons

In stories «portly» describes a character, often a cheerful older gentleman or a mayor — it paints a picture kindly. In real life calling people fat is rude; portly is gentler but still a comment on someone's body.

### Examples

- A portly gentleman sat in the armchair. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/portly/#x1)
- The portly innkeeper laughed at the joke. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/portly/#x2)
- Father Christmas is often shown as portly and jolly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/portly/#x3)
- The portly mayor puffed up the stairs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/portly/#x4)
- The story's portly cook loved her own cakes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/portly/#x5)
- His broad, portly person, hid the slender, lovely Babette; but she came forward and glanced at him with her bright, dark eyes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/portly/#x6)

### Note

Polite, old-fashioned: like «stout», «plump», «rotund». Not about «port» (harbour). Avoid talking about real people's bodies.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «portly» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/portly/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«portly» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/portly.html) on Mova free.