sinewy

adjective

sin·​ewy ˈsin-yə-wē 

 also  ˈsi-nə-

1

: full of sinews: such as

a

: tough, stringy

sinewy meat

b

: strong

sinewy arms

2

: marked by the strength of sinews

a demanding sinewy intelligence

—Helen Dudar

Synonyms

• brawny
• muscular
• rugged
• stalwart
• stout
• strong

Examples of sinewy in a Sentence

The lion has a sinewy body.

a sinewy piece of meat

Recent Examples on the Web

Nicknamed the Blood Wyrm for his color, sinewy build, and taste for violence, Caraxes is significantly younger and smaller than his counterpart. —Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 8 July 2024

As tourists stumble by with tall cans of Bud Light Lime and cigarettes in hand, Sell’s tattooed, sinewy limbs stretch a matching Lacoste tee and shorts, with the requisite crocodile emblems and matching bright-red shoes. —Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024

And Abercrombie was shunned for its use of sinewy, overwhelmingly white models and for selling T-shirts that were decidedly racist. —Jonathan Dienst, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2024

At 60, the sinewy Harbaugh is as fit as any head coach in the game, and his heart issues — diagnosed as atrial flutter — are not indisputably attributable to the stress of the game. —Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sinewy

adjective

sin·​ewy ˈsin-yə-wē 

 also  ˈsin-ə-

1

: full of sinews : stringy

sinewy meat

2

: strong sense 1

sinewy arms