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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brawny
At Flanders, the peloton’s big and brawny racers like Flemish hero Wout van Aert or Dutch racer Mathieu van der Poel get to shine.
—
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 2 Apr. 2025
With teammate Mikal Bridges tagging smaller facilitators, Anunoby takes the brawnier ones.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
The 331-mile trail in Kiso Valley provides respite with its brawny cedar and cypress trees but also serves a functional purpose.
—Haley Harrison, AFAR Media, 10 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 2 Apr. 2025
With teammate Mikal Bridges tagging smaller facilitators, Anunoby takes the brawnier ones.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
The 331-mile trail in Kiso Valley provides respite with its brawny cedar and cypress trees but also serves a functional purpose.
—Haley Harrison, AFAR Media, 10 Apr. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawny
Adjective
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Urine travels from the kidneys through muscular tubes called ureters to the bladder.—
Stephanie Brown,
Verywell Health,
4 July 2025
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Overall, mobility suffers and injury risk increases as your body reacts to increasing core instability by creating protective tension and muscular compensations — often straining the lower back.—
Dana Santas,
CNN Money,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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Grant, a nose tackle Miami selected in the first round, Phillips, a three-year starter at Maryland the Dolphins selected in the fifth round, and Biggers, a seventh-round pick, are all young, big and athletic, and each possesses upside.—
Omar Kelly
July 11,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
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Meek resigned as Esperanza’s coach after the 2002 season and became one of the school’s athletic directors.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
11 July 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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One of the most powerful moments of the night was the Waiting to Exhale tribute, beautifully curated by Adam Blackstone.—
Essence,
Essence,
10 July 2025
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The powerful currents of flash floods can carry drivers off the road.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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In Kansas City, the brand-new Museum of BBQ showcases how this quintessential American cuisine is made. Road Cruise Take a road cruise along a captivating northeast loop that’s filled with urban attractions, rugged coasts and gorgeous mountains.—
Roger Sands,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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Pictured above is Indonesia’s mountainous Halmahera rainforest, featuring rugged topography shaped by outpourings from the numerous volcanoes that pockmark the region.—
Emma R. Hasson,
Scientific American,
1 July 2025
Adjective
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Emanuel Hershberger—Manny to his friends—has an iron handshake, a bushy chin-strap beard, and the burly shoulders of a man who spends his downtime tending a 40-acre farm without mechanized equipment.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
24 June 2025
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Ryan and Rory bring a soulful-style harmony that meshes well with Johnson’s burly, warm vocal and further elevate the song’s timeless sound.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Other characters later filled out Mafalda’s circle, including a little brother, Guille, and a short but mighty friend called Libertad, each new voice deepening Quino’s lucid portrait of the community.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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Researchers produce knowledge in the form of research papers that do not belong to them, while a few mighty businesses make huge amounts of money from it.—
Boaz Sobrado,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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These hefty meatloaf sandwiches are juicy, very beefy, and crowned with a sweet ketchup glaze.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
10 June 2025
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This is a beefy AI workstation with an Nvidia GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra Desktop Superchip, cramming server-grade Grace Blackwell hardware into a single motherboard.—
Brian Westover,
PC Magazine,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brawny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawny. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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