Synonyms of muscular

muscular

adjective

ˈmə-skyə-lər 

1

as in athletic

marked by a well-developed musculature

Olympic runners tend to have very muscular legs

Synonyms & Similar Words

• athletic
• sinewy
• brawny
• powerful
• strong
• strapping
• sturdy
• sculpted
• robust
• wiry
• beefy
• burly
• stout
• husky
• mighty
• hulking
• hefty
• herculean
• able-bodied
• muscle-bound
• rugged
• stalwart

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• skinny
• scrawny
• weak
• feeble
• fragile
• delicate
• frail
• slender
• slight
• light
• thin
• wimpy
• debilitated
• lightweight
• weakened
• lean
• enfeebled
• weakly
• effete
• nonathletic
• slim
• willowy
• svelte
• gaunt
• emaciated
• enervated
• spare
• lank
• sylphlike
• rawboned
• scraggy

2

as in strong

having muscles capable of exerting great physical force

a muscular superhero who can easily lift a ton or more

Synonyms & Similar Words

• strong
• powerful
• rugged
• stout
• mighty
• sinewy
• athletic
• brawny
• masculine
• sturdy
• stalwart
• potent
• tough
• energetic
• forceful
• healthy
• trim
• beefy
• vigorous
• virile
• burly
• hard
• husky
• forcible
• fit
• robust
• sound
• strapping
• strengthened
• puissant
• lusty
• able-bodied
• vitalized
• energized
• hale
• hearty
• red-blooded
• toughened
• invigorated
• inured

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weak
• feeble
• delicate
• frail
• wimpy
• disabled
• challenged
• paralyzed
• weakling
• incapacitated
• small
• impotent
• powerless
• slight
• puny
• unhealthy
• unfit
• unathletic

3

as in aggressive

marked by or uttered with forcefulness

a presidential speech that promises to be a muscular enunciation of the nation's foreign policy

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aggressive
• vigorous
• emphatic
• violent
• dynamic
• energetic
• forceful
• assertive
• strenuous
• insistent
• vehement
• striking
• compelling
• clear
• full-blooded
• pointed
• resounding
• marked
• noticeable
• conspicuous
• decided
• categorical
• unequivocal
• plain
• unambiguous
• absolute
• categoric
• arresting
• impelling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• mild
• weak
• unemphatic
• nonassertive
• ambiguous
• guarded
• equivocal
• hesitant
• nonemphatic
• understated
• uncompelling
• wishy-washy
• halting

4

as in rich

having an abundance of some characteristic quality (as flavor)

a muscular red wine that goes especially well with beef

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rich
• strong
• robust
• potent
• big
• concentrated
• lusty
• full-bodied
• plush
• heady
• full
• heavy
• unmixed
• undiluted
• straight
• fortified
• high-octane
• enriched
• high-test

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• thin
• weak
• mild
• light
• delicate
• weakened
• thinned
• watery
• dilute
• diluted
• watered-down

Examples of muscular in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Specifically, a widowmaker heart attack affects blood flow to a major portion of the left ventricle, the most muscular and powerful of the heart's four chambers. —Christopher Lee, Verywell Health, 10 Oct. 2024

In many of these songs, the bassline is the true star, svelte and muscular like an Olympic athlete. —Elias Leight, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2024

Though this streamlined version is more muscular, some of the playwright’s cuts have unbalanced his structure: the main dramatic pivot rests on the show’s wobbliest scene, and grownup Joan’s late-play entrance cues a series of diminishing returns. —Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2024

Man and Woman #2 (1960), for example, shows a muscular arm cradling a female head, her eyes appearing to bulge because of the dark makeup applied around her lids. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2024