Synonyms of brawny

brawny

adjective

ˈbrȯ-nē 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• muscular
• strong
• powerful
• rugged
• mighty
• stout
• sinewy
• masculine
• stalwart
• athletic
• sturdy
• tough
• potent
• burly
• beefy
• hard
• forceful
• energetic
• husky
• virile
• trim
• forcible
• vigorous
• healthy
• fit
• robust
• lusty
• puissant
• strapping
• able-bodied
• strengthened
• sound
• hale
• hearty
• vitalized
• energized
• red-blooded
• toughened
• inured
• invigorated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weak
• feeble
• delicate
• frail
• wimpy
• disabled
• weakling
• small
• paralyzed
• incapacitated
• impotent
• powerless
• puny
• slight
• unfit
• unhealthy
• unathletic

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

• muscular
• sinewy
• athletic
• strong
• powerful
• wiry
• burly
• sturdy
• beefy
• strapping
• sculpted
• robust
• mighty
• husky
• hefty
• hulking
• stout
• herculean
• stalwart
• able-bodied
• rugged
• muscle-bound

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• scrawny
• skinny
• weak
• feeble
• fragile
• delicate
• frail
• wimpy
• slight
• slender
• lightweight
• effete
• light
• weakened
• thin
• debilitated
• weakly
• lean
• enfeebled
• nonathletic
• slim
• willowy
• svelte
• gaunt
• spare
• emaciated
• enervated
• lank
• rawboned
• sylphlike
• scraggy

3

as in athletic

strongly and heavily built

a tough little boy who's going to be a brawny man someday

Synonyms & Similar Words

• athletic
• powerful
• burly
• beefy
• husky
• mighty
• hulking
• strong
• muscular
• sturdy
• stout
• hefty
• mesomorphic
• rugged
• solid
• sinewy
• robust
• heavy
• strapping
• stocky
• herculean
• stalwart
• thickset
• able-bodied
• heavyset
• muscle-bound
• compact
• squat
• pudgy
• squatty
• chunky
• chubby
• portly
• tubby
• dumpy
• lumpish
• podgy
• roly-poly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slender
• thin
• lean
• lightweight
• slight
• light
• slim
• willowy
• svelte
• lanky
• bony
• scrawny
• skinny
• gaunt
• weedy
• spare
• gawky
• stringy
• wiry
• reedy
• scraggy
• waspish
• sylphlike
• weak
• feeble
• gangling
• puny
• fragile
• spidery
• delicate
• twiggy
• frail
• wimpy
• gangly
• emaciated
• effete
• infirm
• debilitated
• weakly
• enfeebled
• unathletic
• enervated

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of brawny

Yet once Adam is fully in command of his sword, so to speak, and subjected to a brawny He-Man makeover that at least spares him the lank bowl cut of the original model, things get rather less spry. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 2 June 2026

Indianapolis hosts the Combine every year, which means each February its downtown briefly becomes the world capital for strong-jawed men in athleisure who could be described as broad, brawny, buff, burly, built, boxy, or otherwise physically notable. — Dan Greene, New Yorker, 18 May 2026

In Southern California, the brawny bees are active from February through October, the Wisconsin company said. — Sarah Linn april 24, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026

SpaceX's Starship now holds that record, though SLS remains the brawniest vehicle ever to reach Earth orbit. — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2026