muscle-bound

adjective

mus·​cle-bound ˈmə-səl-ˌbau̇nd 

1

: having some of the muscles tense and enlarged and of impaired elasticity sometimes as a result of excessive exercise

2

: lacking in flexibility : rigid

Examples of muscle-bound in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But their skeletons seemed peculiar—stocky and muscle-bound, with mashups of features seen in various groups of modern-day mammals. —Steve Brusatte, Scientific American, 1 June 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for muscle-bound

• aboveground
• battleground
• belowground
• paperbound
• turnaround
• ultrasound
• underground
• wraparound
• abound
• aground
• around
• astound

Kids Definition

muscle-bound

adjective

mus·​cle-bound

ˈməs-əl-ˌbau̇nd

: having abnormally large muscles that do not move and stretch easily

Medical Definition

muscle-bound

adjective

mus·​cle-bound ˈməs-əl-ˌbau̇nd 

: having some of the muscles tense and enlarged and of impaired elasticity sometimes as a result of excessive exercise