BURLY Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

burly

adjective

ˈbər-lē

Definition of burly

as in athletic

strongly and heavily built a burly delivery man brought the furniture

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Emmett Doyle is a burly and bearded union carpenter and musician in Minneapolis who writes and performs folk music about the struggles of the working class. — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 This burly and battle-tested Chaminade-Madonna offensive line is led by three-star 6-foot-5 guard Devon Munnings, who is committed to Liberty. — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 27 Aug. 2026 Taylor Lally is a blue-eyed, burly, bespectacled man, with a beard about halfway to the the full Duck Dynasty look. — Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026 Fauci asked as a burly officer marched the man through the main door of the building and toward a police van, his hands zip-tied behind him. — Michael Collins, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for burly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for burly

Adjective

Southlake Carroll junior two-way baseball standout Luke Esquivel, previously at Grapevine, had his appeal for athletic eligibility denied by the University Interscholastic League State Executive Committee in a 4-2 vote Thursday.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026
Temporary flight restrictions are issued by the FAA for a variety of reasons, ranging from extreme weather to large athletic, entertainment or political events.

— Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of athletic

Adjective

Pacific Fusion also aims to create a fusion reaction an order of magnitude more powerful than those at the national lab facilities.

— Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Zuckerberg and Wang want Muse Wonder and the more powerful Muse Wonder Full to drive Muse, Meta’s personal AI agent, which can act on people’s behalf.

— Molly A. Wallace, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of powerful

Adjective

Gomez, who has a noticeably husky, raspy voice at times, answered a fan question about her vocal quirkiness during an Instagram Live session last December.

— Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 Oct. 2026
Her husky voice made Pugh, as an up-and-comer, seem wise beyond her years in breakout roles as a Machiavellian teenage bride in Lady Macbeth and an actor turned spy in The Little Drummer Girl.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of husky

Adjective

Well, now meet its beefier cousin, the 2028 Mercedes-AMG GT SUV, an equally powerful, ultra-fast-charging electric people-hauler.

— Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2026
Steaks — particularly ribeye, sirloin and strip — brown faster with another layer of beefy flavor.

— Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of beefy

Adjective

China is no stranger to powerful quakes, especially in southwestern parts of the country where the Eurasian tectonic plate meets the Indian plate, a dramatic collision that creates the mighty Himalayas and the vast Tibetan plateau.

— Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026
On the east bank of the mighty Nile is Luxor, the great city of the living, with its massive temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of mighty

Adjective

If the brawny stalker is a prison guard, maybe the skinny guy was, too?

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
After the last practices and meetings ahead of their Friday night lights, around seven or eight brawny, youthful teenagers walk into Top Speed for a primer session.

— PJ Green October 14, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of brawny

Adjective

Among the relics of its decline is a hulking complex of rusted pipes, towers and conveyor belts in Delano, just five miles north of the McFarland chipping yard.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
The faceless, hulking boxes have become a proxy for the whole argument about AI—its water use, its demands on power and land, the question of who benefits from it all.

— Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of hulking

Adjective

Phillips has also been stout against the run and a vocal leader his teammates praise.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
Tennessee relied on a stout defense and the steady play of quarterback George MacIntyre to win their third straight game.

— Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of stout

Browse Nearby Words

burliness

burly

burn

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“Burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burly. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of burly

adjective

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