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unmuscled

unmuscled

1 6.5
Having little physical strength and not looking strong
  • adjective
  • /ʌnˈmʌsəld/
: débil
  • She had been like most of the women of her generation, soft and unmuscled.

Examples

  • His unmuscled physique made him feel out of place among the strong athletes.

  • Despite being unmuscled, she showed incredible agility and speed during the race.

  • The artist preferred to paint unmuscled figures, capturing a sense of fragility and grace.

Synonyms

flaccid
vsunmuscled
15 7.3

Soft and limp, without firmness or strength

is about low muscle size or bulk rather than limp texture
infirm
vsunmuscled
  • Formal
11 6.1

Weak in body, often because of old age or illness

emphasizes low muscle mass rather than illness or ageing causes
debile
vsunmuscled
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Weak in the body and having little strength

refers specifically to lacking muscles or muscular build, not general frailty
rickety
vsunmuscled
1 7.0

Physically weak, often with shaky or bent legs

focuses on thin muscle build rather than unstable or shaky condition
untoned
vsunmuscled
1 5.5

Not firm and strong in the muscles or voice

focuses on absence of muscle mass rather than firmness or tone
unmuscular
vsunmuscled
1 4.4

Having weak muscles and little physical strength

is the same idea of lacking muscles and muscular build
unexercised
vsunmuscled
1 5.3

Not used in physical activity so muscles become weak

is about lacking muscles or a muscular build regardless of cause

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Having great physical power or being solid enough to resist force

55 2.8

Having strong, well-developed muscles

How Muscular

brawny
6 4.7
muscular
55 2.8
unmuscled
1 6.5
lean
140 2.5
scrawny
  • Informal
44 4.2
frail
1 6.5

Surface Forms

unmuscled positive

Morphology

unmuscled = muscled (transparent) = un + muscle + ed

Built by prefixing 'un-' to the adjective 'muscled' (muscle + -ed), so the negative meaning 'not having muscles' is directly inferable.

Etymology

Unmuscled comes from un- ('not') plus muscle, and muscle originally came from a Latin word meaning 'little mouse' because people thought a muscle under the skin looked like a small mouse. So unmuscled means 'not having muscles' or 'not muscular'.