burly

adjective

ˈbər-lē How to pronounce burly (audio)
Definition of burlynext
as in athletic
strongly and heavily built a burly delivery man brought the furniture

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of burly 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. — Joshua Hunt, Vanity Fair, 17 June 2026 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. — Euan Ward, New Yorker, 29 May 2026 Amin Abdullah, 51 (San Diego Police Department) Abdullah was known for his burly figure and his warm smile. — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026 Many tropical harvestman species like those in the study are larger and burlier than their temperate kin, which makes the occasional amphibian feast more feasible. — Jake Buehler, Scientific American, 21 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for burly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burly
  1. athletic
  2. powerful
  3. husky
  4. beefy
  5. mighty
  6. brawny
  7. hulking
  8. stout
Adjective
  • Every team wants position players who are athletic, project to play up the middle, excel on defense and more.
    — Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 9 July 2026
  • Zero compression would be the pressure a regular athletic sock provides, which isn’t constricting but may offer arch support and padding.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
Definition of athletic
Adjective
  • New York — The stocks that have fueled Wall Street’s powerful AI rally are suddenly under pressure as investors evaluate rising tensions in the Middle East, take profits after a historic run and reassess where to find value.
    — John Towfighi, CNN Money, 9 July 2026
  • The powerful currents of flash floods can carry drivers off the road.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026
Definition of powerful
Adjective
  • Tyler, after a brief recovery period, returned to the recording studio with a huskier, edgier voice.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
  • The extravagant, hi-NRG single showcased the breadth of Tyler’s husky grandeur, which proved a perfect fit for Giorgio Moroder.
    — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 9 July 2026
Definition of husky
Adjective
  • Those beefy Parisian security boys seem ready for anything, including the heat, non?
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • The service offers a beefy selection of email templates and a host of autoresponders.
    — Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 22 June 2026
Definition of beefy
Adjective
  • In its opening match, Cape Verde introduced itself with a draw against mighty Spain.
    — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 4 July 2026
  • Today Twain would be startled by the passivity of a once-mighty Congress that has all but crumbled in the face of pressure from the White House.
    — Ron Chernow, The Atlantic, 2 July 2026
Definition of mighty
Adjective
  • The comparison suggests Mexican winemaking is a monolith and that its offerings mimic Napa’s brawny fruit-forward wines—two deeply misguided assumptions.
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 June 2026
  • Some might make the case that 2005’s brawny alien apocalypse action thriller War of the Worlds fits the bill.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026
Definition of brawny
Adjective
  • And the hulking Haaland continues to delight with a larger-than-life personality to match, soaking in American culture at every stop.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026
  • Was a wedding at that hulking fortress in Midtown Manhattan gauche?
    — Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of hulking
Adjective
  • La Albiceleste created more chances but could not get past the viral sensation in net or the stout Cape Verdean defense before the halftime whistle blew.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 3 July 2026
  • All of this came after Florida’s four trades for star forward Brady Tkachuk, starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom, backup goaltender Akira Schmid and fourth-line forward Garnet Hathaway to fortify what on paper was already a stout roster.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026
Definition of stout

Browse Nearby Words

burliness
burly
burn
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burly. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on burly

Nglish: Translation of burly for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All