Flat-footed

/ˌflætˈfʊtɪd/ · adjective

Meaning

Of an animal: having feet which are naturally flat; (specifically) of a horse: having hoofs with soles close to the ground..

Definitions by Sense

1. Of an animal: having feet which are naturally flat; (specifically) of a horse: having hoofs with soles close to the ground.
2. Of a person: having the physical condition of flat feet (“a condition where the soles of the feet are in full contact with the ground, either because the arches have collapsed or because they never developed”).
3. (by extension) Of a thing (especially (rail transport) a rail): having a flat base; flat-bottomed.
4. Blunt and unsubtle; lacking finesse; clumsy.
5. Unprepared, unready.
6. Direct, downright, straightforward; also, holding firmly to and maintaining a decision; standing one's ground.
7. simple past and past participle of flat-foot.

Example Sentences

Bears are flat-footed animals.

[T]here have ben novv of late, Serpents knovvn flat-footed like Geeſe.

Pelicans are large flat-footed Fovvls, almoſt as big as Geeſe, and their Feathers in colour like them: […]

He claimed that Jews walk flatfooted like a camel—including me.

[T]he volunteer from the 9th company was shot because he wouldn't advance and made the excuse that he had swollen legs and was flat-footed.

The figure came up and squatted flatfooted on his haunches next to Patsy. In the dim glow of starlight and streetlight he saw a wrinkled face and a silvery goatee.

These rails, […] were of the "fish-bellied" pattern, but in practice, and as the demand increased, these were found troublesome to roll, and this difficulty led to the introduction of the flat-bottomed or "flat-footed" section of rail, combining a solid head with a flanged base.

The thing made a big stir in the town, too, and a good many come out flat-footed and said it was scandalous to separate the mother and the children that way.

Synonyms for flat-footed

Antonyms for flat-footed

Related Words

Word Forms

• more flat-footed
• most flat-footed
• flatfooted

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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