muscle-bound

adjective

Definition of muscle-boundnext
as in muscular

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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 muscle-bound But their skeletons seemed peculiar—stocky and muscle-bound, with mashups of features seen in various groups of modern-day mammals. — Steve Brusatte, Scientific American, 1 June 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muscle-bound
  1. muscular
  2. athletic
  3. powerful
  4. sinewy
  5. burly
  6. mighty
  7. strapping
  8. beefy
Adjective
  • Imax just released numbers for the second quarter ended in June, but eyes are on July – specifically, the massive debut of The Odyssey that just provided the big screen exhibitor with its most muscular opening weekend ever.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 23 July 2026
  • During standard Pilates, your body primarily responds to the workout’s muscular and neuromuscular demands, including core stabilization, muscular endurance, coordination, balance, and mobility.
    — Mellanie Perez, Health, 20 July 2026
Definition of muscular
Adjective
  • Kansas Athletics is on the verge of hiring an executive director for front-office strategy and operations, KU athletic director Travis Goff told The Star on Wednesday afternoon.
    — Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
  • And big athletic departments have avid fanbases that blanket entire regions, across gender, race, age and socioeconomic lines.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 30 July 2026
Definition of athletic
Adjective
  • Working with patrons Anadol counters that anyone can have free access to the models his studio develops, and that there's nothing new about contemporary artists' relationships with rich and powerful benefactors.
    — Chloe Veltman, NPR, 29 July 2026
  • As time goes on, there will surely be more supporters – particularly among smaller, less financially powerful member associations – of Infantino’s idea.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 29 July 2026
Definition of powerful
Adjective
  • The White man, his sinewy, tattooed arms already beet-red from the sun, shouldered the cross from the center beam.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
  • The swimmers looked like swimmers—sinewy and long, with huge hands and feet.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
Definition of sinewy
Adjective
  • The boy was burly and had a remarkable strength and energy that stayed throughout his life, only faltering in the very last throes of death.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • Morocco’s burly defender Issa Diop was nearly on top of him, but Mbappé didn’t give him time to challenge.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 10 July 2026
Definition of burly
Adjective
  • We Baltimoreans treasure the role the 1814 battle played in repelling the mighty British forces, which were forced to abandon their siege of Fort McHenry.
    — Michel A. Ibrahim, Baltimore Sun, 25 July 2026
  • Baseball can be so random that there will be no guarantees in the playoffs, even for the mighty Dodgers.
    — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of mighty
Adjective
  • Ser Duncan the Tall, is a strapping but awkward young man with little confidence and few skills.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
  • Henney is best known for playing the strapping and heroic Special Agent Matt Simmons on Criminal Minds.
    — Hoda Mallone, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of strapping
Adjective
  • Add more butter, plenty of Parmesan cheese, and a hint of Worcestershire at the end to intensify its rich, beefy flavors.
    — Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 26 July 2026
  • On top of the appropriately hirsute performer assuming the role of beefy antihero Kratos, the adaptation promises a god-tier ensemble cast, with the likes of Lost’s Sonya Walger and Homeland’s Mandy Patinkin joining the fray.
    — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 15 July 2026
Definition of beefy

Browse Nearby Words

muscle
muscle-bound
muscle car
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Cite this Entry

“Muscle-bound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscle-bound. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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