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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

lithe

/laɪð/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:49
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What does lithe mean?

adjective

  1. Slim but not skinny.
  2. Capable of being easily bent; flexible.
  3. Adaptable.
More meanings (7)

verb

  1. To listen to, hearken to.
  2. (obsolete) To become calm.
  3. (obsolete) To make soft or mild; soften; alleviate; mitigate; lessen; smooth; palliate.
  4. (obsolete) To attend; listen, hearken.
  5. (archaic) to thicken (gravy, etc.)

noun

  1. Shelter.

adjective

  1. (obsolete) Mild; calm.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/laɪð/

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

At last he saw it, not twenty feet away—the long, lithe, muscular body and tawny head of a huge black-maned lion.
Edgar Rice BurroughsTarzan of the ApesProject Gutenberg ebook #78
They passed around us quietly, the little yellow man leading, with his curious, lithe gait, and the other, an impassive Chinaman, following.
Sax RohmerThe Insidious Dr. Fu ManchuProject Gutenberg ebook #173
More book examples (3)
He was a very dusky-coloured young Pathan about twenty years of age, lithe and active, and honest and pleasant-looking, as Pathans go.
J. H. (John Henry) PattersonThe Man-Eaters of Tsavo, and Other East African AdventuresProject Gutenberg ebook #3810
After a single tentative trial he jumped lightly to the very centre of his place, with the lithe caution of a cat.
Stewart Edward WhiteThe ForestProject Gutenberg ebook #9376
Planted against a wall, or beside a stout-growing, open-habited shrub, where the peculiarly lithe branches can find support, this plant does best.
Angus D. WebsterHardy Ornamental Flowering Trees and ShrubsProject Gutenberg ebook #10852