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Glite Dictionary
built like a hulk

built like a hulk

6.3
A person who has very large muscles and a strong body
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : musculoso
  • Everyone at the gym noticed he was built like a hulk after months of training.

Examples

  • He is built like a hulk and can lift heavy weights.

  • People say my uncle is built like a hulk because of his years as a wrestler.

  • Even in a suit, you can tell she's built like a hulk.

  • Many football players are built like a hulk to withstand tackles.

  • Everyone at the gym noticed he was built like a hulk after months of training.

  • Many football players are built like a hulk to withstand tackles.

  • People say my uncle is built like a hulk because of his years as a wrestler.

Synonyms

muscular
vsbuilt like a hulk
12 3.0

Showing strong, forceful energy in action or style

means the same physical power but suggests even greater, more extreme bulk
hulking
vsbuilt like a hulk
1 5.5

Very big and heavy, often looking awkward or scary

stresses strong, muscular power rather than awkward large size
hulky
vsbuilt like a hulk
1 7.0

Large and heavy in size and shape

focuses more on muscular power rather than mere large size or bulk
built like a brick shithouse
vsbuilt like a hulk
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person with a very strong, solid body and large muscles

is similar but uses a less crude expression for the same strength
built like a brick outhouse
vsbuilt like a hulk
  • Informal
9.1

A person who is very strong and muscular with a solid, powerful body

is similar but sounds less rural and slightly more modern in tone
built like a brick shipyard
vsbuilt like a hulk
  • Informal
9.8

Very strong and solid, like a person with big muscles or a very hard box

describes genuine extreme muscular power rather than playful exaggeration
super-strong
vsbuilt like a hulk
  • Informal
6.4

A person or animal who is much stronger than others

emphasizes both extreme size and muscular power rather than strength alone

Antonyms

slight
42 3.2

Thin and not strongly built

feeble
25 3.9

Physically or mentally weak and low in energy

How Strong

built like a hulk
  • Informal
6.3
powerful
∞ 1.7
muscular
49 2.8
fit
91 1.0
slight
42 3.2

Surface Forms

built like a hulk positive

Morphology

built + like + a + hulk

The simile construction 'built like a hulk' is directly compositional: 'built' (having a body shape) + 'like' (similar to) + 'hulk' (a very large/heavy person) yields the meaning of having a very large, powerful physique. This pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows ordinary English comparison rules, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase built like a hulk probably comes from the comic-book hero the Hulk, a huge green man who is very strong. So, saying someone is built like a hulk makes you picture a very big, muscular person, which is why it means 'very strong and muscular'.