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brawny

brawny

6 4.7
Having large, strong muscles
  • adjective
  • /ˈbrɔːni/
translation icon : musculoso
  • Frank was brawny and warm, a compassionate physician, with a voracious appetite for books and adventure.
  • a brawny man

Examples

  • On the other side of the room, a brawny, heavyset man in his late thirties rises to look at Frank.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The brawny man, Tony, shrugs and stands to look at Frank as he speaks.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • As we will see she is brawny but attractive.

  • My father was a brawny Moor.

  • Look at those brawny arms, those massive chests.

  • He's such a thickly cast, brawny dude.

  • Suddenly he's taking up the whole kitchen, spreading in his chair: a brawny, smoky, cast-iron stove of a man.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • "There—see!" He pointed to two brawny men carrying a woman whose loose hair swept along the flagstones.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Then too, the surging crowds of workers, sailors, and merchants—all rough-hewn, brawny men—created an exotic late afternoon hubbub.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The brawny firefighter easily lifted the heavy equipment off the ground.

Synonyms

muscular
vsbrawny
49 2.8

Having strong, well-developed muscles

emphasizes physical strength more than just muscle appearance
burly
vsbrawny
24 4.6

A large, strong person with heavy muscles

emphasizes bulk and heaviness rather than pure muscle definition
beefy
vsbrawny
16 4.0

A large strong person or animal with big, heavy muscles

highlights developed muscles and physical power rather than general bulk
muscled
vsbrawny
3.0

Having a strong body like a fit athlete

focuses on overall physical strength rather than visible muscle detail
buirdly
vsbrawny
  • UK
9.9

Large and muscular with a heavy body

is the standard, nonregional term focusing on muscle and strength

Antonyms

524 1.0

Not strong in body or muscles and easily tired

6.5

A person, often elderly, who is physically weak

How Muscular

hulking
1 5.5
brawny
6 4.7
fit
91 1.0
slim
60 1.0

Surface Forms

brawny positive

Morphology

brawny = brawn (transparent) = brawn + y

Meaning is directly derived from the noun 'brawn' (muscular strength) with the adjectival suffix '-y', yielding 'muscular' or 'having brawn'.

Etymology

The word brawny comes from the old word brawn, which meant 'meat' or 'muscle', plus the ending -y meaning 'full of'. So brawny means 'full of muscle', which is why we use it for someone very strong and muscular.