When someone asks for the akimbo def, they usually want a quick, clear answer: what does akimbo mean, and how is it used? In its most familiar sense, akimbo describes a posture in which the arms are bent at the elbows with the hands resting on the hips, so the elbows stick out to the sides. The phrase “arms akimbo” is the classic example, and it instantly paints a picture of someone standing with a confident, impatient, or challenging stance. This guide gives the akimbo def in full, with pronunciation hints, usage examples, related meanings, and the word’s history.
Beyond that classic posture, the akimbo def has a broader, more colourful life. It can describe anything set at a sharp angle, splayed out, or positioned awkwardly, such as legs akimbo or a sign hanging akimbo. It also appears in older and figurative uses, including a sense of something being awry or disordered. Understanding those layers helps you recognise the word in books, films, and conversation, and use it accurately rather than only in its hands-on-hips sense.
Akimbo Def: The Core Meaning
The core akimbo def is an adverb and adjective describing a bent, angular position, most famously of the arms. To stand with arms akimbo is to stand with hands on hips and elbows pointing outward. The posture is so distinctive that writers use it as shorthand for attitude: confidence, defiance, impatience, or readiness for an argument. A character described as standing akimbo is not relaxed or neutral; the body language itself carries meaning, and readers understand it immediately without further explanation.
That body-language meaning is why the word survives so well. English has many words for standing, but few capture this exact shape in a single term. Saying “she stood with her hands on her hips and her elbows out” takes a full clause, while “she stood akimbo” or “with arms akimbo” does the same work in two words. Writers, especially in fiction and journalism, value that economy, and the word’s slightly old-fashioned flavour adds colour without obscuring the sense.
How to Say Akimbo
Akimbo is pronounced with the stress on the second syllable, roughly “uh-KIM-boh”. The first syllable is short and unstressed, the second carries the emphasis, and the final syllable is light. Saying it aloud a few times fixes both the sound and the spelling, which learners sometimes confuse with similar-looking words. Once the pronunciation is comfortable, the word becomes easy to use naturally in speech as well as in writing.
Akimbo Def in Everyday Usage
In everyday usage, the akimbo def appears most often in the fixed phrase “arms akimbo”, but it is not limited to arms. Legs can be described as akimbo when they are spread wide or bent at an angle, and objects can be described as akimbo when they sit crookedly or at odds with their surroundings. A ladder left akimbo against a wall, a picture hanging akimbo, or limbs akimbo after a fall all use the same underlying idea: something is bent, splayed, or out of its usual straight alignment.
The figurative sense follows naturally. Something described as “all akimbo” may be disordered, confused, or in disarray, as if its parts were sticking out at odd angles. This use is less common than the posture sense, but it appears in older writing and in colourful modern prose. When you meet it, think of the physical image first, elbows out, angles everywhere, and the figurative meaning, disorder or awkwardness, usually becomes clear from context.
Akimbo Def: Examples in Sentences
Examples make the akimbo def stick. “The teacher stood with arms akimbo, waiting for an explanation.” “He sat with legs akimbo, completely at ease on the grass.” “After the gust of wind, the sign hung akimbo from a single screw.” “Her plans went all akimbo when the train was cancelled.” Each example uses the same core image of angularity, but the tone shifts: the first suggests impatience, the second relaxation, the third physical crookedness, and the fourth disorder. Context, as always, decides which shade is intended.
Notice also that akimbo rarely needs extra decoration. Because the word itself is vivid, pairing it with a long description can weaken it. “Arms akimbo” already tells the reader everything about the posture, so a writer can move straight to what the character says or does next. That efficiency is part of the word’s charm, and it is a good model for using strong vocabulary generally: choose the precise word, then let the action carry the scene.
Words Related to Akimbo
There is no exact synonym for akimbo, which is part of why it endures. Near neighbours include “askew” for something crooked, “splayed” for something spread out, and “hands on hips” for the posture itself. “Akimbo” combines angularity with a hint of attitude in a way none of those quite matches. “Agog” and “akimbo” are sometimes confused by learners because of their similar rhythm, but they are unrelated: agog means eager or expectant, while akimbo describes a bent, angular position.
Akimbo Def: A Brief History of the Word
The akimbo def has a long history in English, reaching back several centuries. Scholars trace it to a Middle English phrase meaning “in a keen bow” or “in a sharp bend”, reflecting the bent-elbow shape at its heart. Over time the phrase fused into a single word, and its spelling settled into the modern form. That origin explains why the word feels both archaic and precise: it preserves an old image of bending that modern phrases have largely replaced.
The word also travelled through literature and popular culture, which kept it alive long after everyday speech might have dropped it. Novelists use it for character description, journalists use it for vivid reporting, and film and television dialogue use it for comic or dramatic effect. Its survival is a reminder that English keeps words that do a specific job well, even when they sound a little old-fashioned. Akimbo does a job no common modern word does quite as neatly.
| Use | Example | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| Arms akimbo | She stood with arms akimbo | Confidence, impatience, or challenge |
| Legs akimbo | He sat with legs akimbo | Relaxed or splayed posture |
| Object akimbo | The sign hung akimbo | Crooked or out of alignment |
| Figurative akimbo | Plans went all akimbo | Disorder or disarray |
Related word guides include our explainer on what subito means in music, our guide to what simultaneously means, and our article on what reassure means.
Akimbo Def: Using the Word Well in Writing
Using akimbo well in writing means trusting the word to do its work and then moving on. Because akimbo already conveys posture and attitude, a sentence such as “she stood with arms akimbo, waiting for an answer” needs no further description of her mood; the reader supplies impatience or confidence from the image alone. Over-explaining the posture afterwards, for example by adding that her elbows stuck out and her hands were on her hips, weakens the effect and repeats what the word already said. Strong vocabulary works best when it is allowed to stand alone, supported by dialogue or action rather than by a second description of the same pose.
It also helps to save akimbo for moments when the angular image genuinely matters. If a character simply stands still, a plainer verb will serve better, but if the stance signals challenge, exasperation, or comic defiance, akimbo earns its place. Readers notice words that are used sparingly and precisely, and they remember a character described this way long after plainer descriptions fade. That is why editors and teachers often praise the word: it is specific, visual, and economical, three qualities that make any piece of writing sharper.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Akimbo Def
What is the simplest akimbo def?
The simplest akimbo def is: with arms bent and hands on hips, elbows sticking out, or more generally, bent or splayed at an angle. The hands-on-hips posture is the sense most people meet first.
Is akimbo an adjective or an adverb?
It functions as both, depending on the sentence. In “arms akimbo” it works adjectivally to describe the arms, while in “she stood akimbo” it works adverbially to describe how she stood. The meaning stays the same either way.
Is akimbo formal or informal?
Akimbo sits in the middle: it is a standard dictionary word, slightly literary or old-fashioned in flavour, but perfectly acceptable in formal writing when the posture or angular sense is what you mean. It adds colour without sounding slangy.
Can akimbo describe legs?
Yes. The akimbo def covers any bent or splayed position, so legs akimbo is a recognised use, meaning legs spread wide or bent at an angle. The arms sense is simply the most frequent and familiar.
Conclusion: Akimbo Def in One Picture
In one picture, the akimbo def is elbows out, hands on hips, angles everywhere: a posture of confidence or impatience, a description of anything bent or splayed, and, figuratively, a state of disorder. Its long history, from a phrase about a keen bend to a single vivid word, explains why it still appears in writing today. Next time you meet it, picture the posture first, and the rest of the meaning, whether a crooked sign or plans gone awry, will usually fall into place.
