1
as in muscular
having muscles capable of exerting great physical force
the store manager always asked the brawniest person there to do the heavy lifting
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sinewy
marked by a well-developed musculature
brawny arms that weren't developed in the gym but by years of work in the construction business
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in athletic
strongly and heavily built
a tough little boy who's going to be a brawny man someday
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brawny
There’s a steak on offer, a brawny New York strip, cooked to a perfect medium rare but presented, for some reason, next to a pile of vinegary sautéed red bell peppers, and a saucier of funky, fishy crawfish béarnaise.
—
Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
There are machines with brawny German beer maids, flawless Chinese geishas, Manchu emperors on golden buffalo.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2024
Their warm and wet climates couldn’t produce the brawny horses needed for their cavalries.
—David Chaffetz, Fortune Asia, 15 Dec. 2024
This build arrived in California courtesy of Osprey Custom Cars, which used the shorter Defender 110’s wheelbase to create a truck with almost cartoonish proportions, something big and brawny but simultaneously cute with the small truck bed.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
There are machines with brawny German beer maids, flawless Chinese geishas, Manchu emperors on golden buffalo.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 18 Dec. 2024
Their warm and wet climates couldn’t produce the brawny horses needed for their cavalries.
—David Chaffetz, Fortune Asia, 15 Dec. 2024
This build arrived in California courtesy of Osprey Custom Cars, which used the shorter Defender 110’s wheelbase to create a truck with almost cartoonish proportions, something big and brawny but simultaneously cute with the small truck bed.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawny
Adjective
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Lenovo's muscular portable is built tough as nails and boasts some impressive components.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PCMAG,
25 Feb. 2025
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In that period, Palmer’s production has declined (three goals, zero assists), and primary striker Nicolas Jackson sustained a muscular injury that will keep him out of action until April.—
Elias Burke,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The Athletic is not privy to the intricacy of the greeting, given the true confidentiality of how Seals, even ones at an athletic apparel brand, slither behind the scenes.—
C. Clark, M. Vorkunov and F. Katz,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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The artistic gymnast and California native have consistently supported each other's athletic careers.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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This results in a charge imbalance that builds up an electric field strong enough to trigger flashes of lightning.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
13 Jan. 2023
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According to research from Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control, strong gun control laws are correlated with fewer gun deaths.—
Elliot Hughes,
Journal Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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The film’s effect on the perception of Brazil’s powerful military has been something of a virtuous circle: the political mood powers the popularity of the movie, and the movie in turn powers the political mood.—
Steven Zeitchik,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Feb. 2025
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Charlotte Moore’s decision to quit the BBC has opened up the most powerful creative job in British television — and within minutes speculation was rampant about who could succeed the outgoing content chief.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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For American travelers, that could mean fewer crowds in Yosemite National Park’s iconic valleys, a more relaxed wine-tasting experience in Napa or quieter coastal hikes along Big Sur's rugged cliffs.—
Emese Maczko,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
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Initially worn by construction workers, Timberlands, as they became known, soon transcended their rugged origins and were embraced, beginning in the late ’70s, by everyone from the Milanese jet set to British ravers.—
Kin Woo,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The burly forward scored 12 of his 21 points in the third, hitting two 3-pointers and throwing down two monster dunks, one of which drew a technical foul for excessive celebration.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
2 Feb. 2025
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Million is a burly former lumberjack from Weaverville.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacramento Bee,
26 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Voice cast is led by Brian Cox as Helm Hammerhand, the mighty King of Rohan; Gaia Wise as his daughter Héra; and Luke Pasqualino as Wulf.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
21 Feb. 2025
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The project, architectural historian Lucia Allais writes, parallels the pharaonic construction of the Aswan High Dam itself, where some 25,000 workers—including 800 Soviet engineers—labored for a decade to dam the mighty river.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The bike itself has 200 millimeters of rear suspension as well as a generous front suspension, and beefy tires with lots of ground contact.—
Maggie Slepian,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Feb. 2025
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It was followed up by the bigger and beefier Octo Max, which adds some more tools to the mix.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
5 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brawny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawny. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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