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
Young boys cleaned test tubes, brawny machinists built gauges and mills, and scales delicate enough to weigh an inch of a spider's web.
—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2026
Electric SUVs and pickup trucks from Rivian, where Elias also worked, can fit 7,776 cylindrical batteries into a brawny, 135 kilowatt-hour pack.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Feb. 2026
The band steadily climbed the charts in its native Australia, pairing its brawny rock with sincere and outspoken political activism.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Thanks to all that power, the brawny cruiser could sprint from zero to 60 mph in under six seconds and reach a top speed of 181 mph.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 5 Feb. 2026
Electric SUVs and pickup trucks from Rivian, where Elias also worked, can fit 7,776 cylindrical batteries into a brawny, 135 kilowatt-hour pack.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Feb. 2026
The band steadily climbed the charts in its native Australia, pairing its brawny rock with sincere and outspoken political activism.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Thanks to all that power, the brawny cruiser could sprint from zero to 60 mph in under six seconds and reach a top speed of 181 mph.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawny
Adjective
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The success of these titles owed much to Movistar Plus’ creation of talent relations with some of the most exciting creatives in Spain and a far more muscular investment in films and series which allowed for across-the-board production standards.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
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All of this gets a steady electrical charge from Kormákur’s muscular direction, Sher’s sweeping camerawork and a no-nonsense, ominous score by Högni Egilsson.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Think Myles Garrett’s athletic testing.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Literally the most athletic defensive lineman ever.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Jessica Chmielewski, Colleen Gartlan and Ella Riordan led a strong defensive effort in front of Noone.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Set one clear boundary today and confirm expectations so your commitments stay strong and manageable.—
Tarot.com,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
In its system card for Claude Mythos, for instance, Anthropicresearchers noted that the powerful AI exhibited a strange fondness for the British cultural theorist Mark Fisher.—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
30 Apr. 2026
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To fix that, Fever removed it and replaced it with a motor from a powerful electric dirt bike.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Fjord country is a rugged aquatic realm where, satisfyingly, ferries are essential to getting around.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Natural beauty also shines along the rugged coastline and in the sparkling turquoise waters.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Floyd, distraught by his own physical failures, is nevertheless repulsed by the sight of Carol in her big, burly ump gear.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
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The Houston Texans selected McDonald, the burly 6-foot-3, 326-pound defensive tackle from Ohio State with the fourth pick of the second round.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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His absence strikes a mighty blow for the Timberwolves, who rely on DiVincenzo for a multitude of contributions.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
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So far, the space epic, starring Ryan Gosling, has generated a mighty $305 million in North America and $613 million worldwide.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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There are about as many puts trading as calls, but options traders are paying beefier premiums in upside calls, with total call premiums nearing $100M versus $50M in puts, according to data compiled by SpotGamma.—
Oliver Renick,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
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The song strips the original’s iconic beefy melody down for parts, replacing it with tinny drumbeats and a minimal synthline, a sound that would become electroclash’s hallmark.—
Cameron Cook,
Pitchfork,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brawny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawny. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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