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
Yet once Adam is fully in command of his sword, so to speak, and subjected to a brawny He-Man makeover that at least spares him the lank bowl cut of the original model, things get rather less spry.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
2 June 2026
Indianapolis hosts the Combine every year, which means each February its downtown briefly becomes the world capital for strong-jawed men in athleisure who could be described as broad, brawny, buff, burly, built, boxy, or otherwise physically notable.
—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
In Southern California, the brawny bees are active from February through October, the Wisconsin company said.
—
Sarah Linn
april 24,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
With tribe immunity at a premium in these early episodes, the targets may well be the players known as brainy schemers rather than brawny athletes.
—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
2 June 2026
Indianapolis hosts the Combine every year, which means each February its downtown briefly becomes the world capital for strong-jawed men in athleisure who could be described as broad, brawny, buff, burly, built, boxy, or otherwise physically notable.
—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
In Southern California, the brawny bees are active from February through October, the Wisconsin company said.
—
Sarah Linn
april 24,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
With tribe immunity at a premium in these early episodes, the targets may well be the players known as brainy schemers rather than brawny athletes.
—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
25 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawny
Adjective
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From their beginnings in the early 1990s, Failure have attracted admirers to their muscular, celestial sound, including Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and Paramore’s Hayley Williams.
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His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.
Adjective
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Johnson is an athletic big who can guard multiple positions despite standing 6-9 and 250 pounds with an impressive 7-3 wingspan.
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At one practice during the fall of 2024, Washington’s assistant athletic director of football academics Diamond Brown was standing on the sideline when Jonah bounded up to her in full pads and begun complaining about his grade in a music class.
Adjective
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Projections varied in the weeks leading up to the draft with no real consensus among draft analysts, but in the last 24 hours there were strong indications the Clippers would choose Wagler and the Nets would take Brown.
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Your desire for solitude and introspection is strong during today’s Scorpio moon.
Adjective
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Never worry about scrubbing away stains from your pets or children again with this powerful carpet and upholstery cleaner.
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The dynamic Sun in your 3rd House of Communication quincunxes powerful Pluto in your 10th House of Career, creating tension between daily tasks and authority.
Adjective
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In the midst of the rugged match, Sweden lost one of its top players to a non-contact injury.
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The search for Gracie the giraffe, missing in Texas, hit its two-week mark on June 25 as the manager of her ranch is continuing to scour rugged terrain from the ground and sky.
Adjective
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The burly bureaucrat in dark slacks and a navy sweater has a scruffy beard and the frazzled look of an anonymous factotum thrust into the limelight.
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Inside a black metal cage at the courtroom’s edge, three men waited silently to face the chief judge, a burly brigadier general in the Lebanese Army.
Adjective
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These small but mighty earbuds promise superior sound quality and noise cancellation in their compact, ergonomic design.
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Westeros will be engulfed in flames as the Dance of the Dragons sweeps away knights riding their mighty creatures and entire armies.
Adjective
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The service offers a beefy selection of email templates and a host of autoresponders.
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Powered by a beefy V8 producing up to 430 horsepower, these Corvettes remain shockingly fast even by modern standards.
Cite this Entry
“Brawny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawny. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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