burly

1 of 2

adjective

bur·​ly ˈbər-lē 

burlier; burliest

: strongly and heavily built : husky

a burly man

burlily

ˈbər-lə-lē 

adverb

burliness

ˈbər-lē-nəs 

noun

burliness

2 of 2

noun

bur·​li·​ness ˈbər-lē-nəs 

plural -es

: the quality or state of being burly

Synonyms of burly

Adjective

• athletic
• powerful
• husky
• beefy
• mighty
• brawny
• hulking
• stout
• strong
• muscular
• sturdy
• hefty
• mesomorphic

Examples of burly in a Sentence

Adjective

a burly delivery man brought the furniture

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Taylor Lally is a blue-eyed, burly, bespectacled man, with a beard about halfway to the the full Duck Dynasty look. — Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026

Fauci asked as a burly officer marched the man through the main door of the building and toward a police van, his hands zip-tied behind him. — Michael Collins, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

Madden was the burly, garrulous head coach of the Oakland Raiders in the 1970s, leading the team to many championship games and its first Super Bowl victory. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 6 Aug. 2026

Though his onscreen appearances are brief, Momoa’s face looks fierce superimposed over a burly green body with pointed fangs and sharp claws. — Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 30 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English

First Known Use

Adjective

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing burly

• hurly-burly

Rhymes for burly

• burley
• curly
• girlie
• girly
• hurly
• pearly
• surly

Kids Definition

burly

adjective

bur·​ly ˈbər-lē 

burlier; burliest

: strongly and heavily built

a burly man

burliness noun