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
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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
Whether that brawny youth can bring that sort of unbridled thinking under real-race weights, in real tack, against real, experienced racehorses that have won multiple stakes remains to be seen.
—
Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Plus, the latest electrics have the brawny, boxlike styling that consumers seek.
—Morgan Korn, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2025
Queen is a brawny, physical big who muscled through opponents to average 19.5 points and 10.8 rebounds this season.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
Masters of the Universe was confirmed by actor Nicholas Galitzine, who stars as the brawny superhero in Amazon MGM's upcoming film.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
Plus, the latest electrics have the brawny, boxlike styling that consumers seek.
—Morgan Korn, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2025
Queen is a brawny, physical big who muscled through opponents to average 19.5 points and 10.8 rebounds this season.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
Masters of the Universe was confirmed by actor Nicholas Galitzine, who stars as the brawny superhero in Amazon MGM's upcoming film.
—Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawny
Adjective
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In his view, Florida state and local governments are muscular enough to handle what comes.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 May 2025
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The bellicosity of these two speeches, at a time when the cease-fire was still tenuous, seemed to reflect Modi’s need to appear muscular in the face of public criticism and after being undermined by Trump’s swagger.—
Vaibhav Vats,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2025
Adjective
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Although Durant was unquestionably the better Thunder player during his stint with Westbrook and Harden, Westbrook had the longer run, playing in Oklahoma City through close to the tail end of his athletic prime.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 May 2025
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Sabol, an operations manager from Madison with an athletic background that bonded her with the show's lead, entered the finale of the Fox reality show as one of two women left on Farmer Jay Woods' Alabama farm.—
Christopher Kuhagen,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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According to research from Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control, strong gun control laws are correlated with fewer gun deaths.—
Elliot Hughes,
Journal Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2023
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This results in a charge imbalance that builds up an electric field strong enough to trigger flashes of lightning.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
13 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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Unlike his small-time Israeli rivals, the placards implied, Netanyahu was a savvy statesman who punched above his weight on the international stage, thanks to his unaccented English oratory and ability to inveigle the world’s most powerful people.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
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The product of multiple mergers of powerful Hollywood talent groups, Endeavor includes much more than WME Sports.—
Evan Drellich,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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After a rugged childhood without electricity or indoor plumbing, Robertson earned a football scholarship to Louisiana Tech University.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
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Groups were scaling the 30-foot steel border fence with rope ladders, or crawling through gaps sawed into the old steel mesh fencing, hundreds of people a day in a 20-mile stretch starting at the rugged mountainside of Mt. Cristo Rey.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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To complement those two, the Thunder are using the burly Jaylin Williams to come in and push him around physically.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
12 May 2025
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First, his linguistic talents need to be tested: My examiner was an infantry captain—a tough and burly Frenchman now in the U.S. Army.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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Blueberries Blueberries are a small but mighty superfruit packed with nutrients.—
Lindsey DeSoto,
Health,
12 May 2025
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From a surprise baby bump to a sleek race-car entrance, these celebrities joined a small but mighty club of stars who have opted to make the famous Met steps not just a runway but a stage.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
7 May 2025
Adjective
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Thankfully, Charlotte has a few under-the-radar spots whose vegan and vegetarian french fries rival those cooked in the beefiest of tallow.—
Samantha Husted,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2025
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Is Fisk, who just popped a hole in a jacket, going to gradually get bigger and beefier as the rest of the season/series unfolds?—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
28 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brawny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawny. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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