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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brawny
This step unlocks the spice’s fat-soluble compounds, unleashing its brawny, savory-sweet flavors.
—
Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
In this 1980-set thriller, Brolin is all brawny and hunky (his shirt knows few buttons) as a desperate dad and former New York cop on a relentless pursuit of a madman (Cliff Forman) who has mistakenly kidnapped his daughter.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Today, the open source OS kernel known as Linux absolutely dominates the brawny server market—particularly for cloud computing and especially for supercomputers and AI infrastructure.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
And brawny local dad Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), whose son is one of the missing children, is determined to find out what that something might be.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Jesse Szewczyk, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
In this 1980-set thriller, Brolin is all brawny and hunky (his shirt knows few buttons) as a desperate dad and former New York cop on a relentless pursuit of a madman (Cliff Forman) who has mistakenly kidnapped his daughter.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
Today, the open source OS kernel known as Linux absolutely dominates the brawny server market—particularly for cloud computing and especially for supercomputers and AI infrastructure.
—Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2025
And brawny local dad Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), whose son is one of the missing children, is determined to find out what that something might be.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawny
Adjective
-
Mikel Arteta has ruled Viktor Gyokeres out of Arsenal’s Champions League trip to Slavia Prague after the striker suffered a muscular injury in their 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday, November 1.—
Art de Roché,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
It's named after their 17-year-old son, Ryan, who died in December 2018 after battling the neuromuscular condition spinal muscular atrophy.—
Wendy Grossman Kantor,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Only a rare player as big and athletic as Rogers could’ve made such a ridiculous play.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
To be where Tech means its president, its board, athletic department and a few major boosters are all coordinated, and agree with the other.—
Mac Engel
November 8,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Flash flooding currents are strong and can sweep drivers off roadways.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Nov. 2025
-
But despite strong technical progress, widespread adoption remains challenging due to cost, infrastructure demands, and limited technological maturity.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The powerful currents of flash floods can carry drivers off the road.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Northrop revealed that measuring smaller than a business card, the EW system was not only the smallest at the event but also the most capable, packing powerful performance into an unprecedented form factor.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
And, importantly, that now-familiar reliable, rugged push.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
8 Nov. 2025
-
For instance, it is equipped with a four-wheel independent drive system, providing maximum mobility across complex and rugged terrain.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Democrats are currently so desperate for strong male role models to promote as candidates that they’re all tangled up over whether a burly Maine oysterman’s Nazi-symbol tattoo is defensible.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Folks are having fun watching big, burly NFL players yell, grab at each other in fright and use the light from their cell phones as beacons in the dark.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Its mighty 12-cylinder heart is mounted transversely, stretching side-to-side across the chassis instead of the front-to-back layout usually used with engines of more than four cylinders.—
Will Sabel Courtney,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
-
All the better to emphasize Lawrence creating the sensation that someone’s grip on reality getting mighty slippery.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Some research suggests our beefier bodies are due to larger portion sizes, too much sugar, too little activity and, more recently, ultraprocessed foods.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Beer adds a richness to complement the beefy flavor.—
Jasmine Smith,
Southern Living,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brawny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawny. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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