Synonyms of sinewy

sinewy

adjective

ˈsin-yə-wē 

1

as in muscular

having muscles capable of exerting great physical force

the lithe, sinewy body of the ballet company's leading male dancer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

2

as in brawny

marked by a well-developed musculature

the sinewy arms of the weight lifter

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sinewy

At the center of it all is Brent Charles’ sinewy Caius Martius Coriolanus, who runs through the play like a human scythe. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Theron, meanwhile, hurls herself into the sinewy action sequences that have increasingly been her home turf over the past two decades, flinging herself down hills and into rivers and navigating some precarious rock-climbing terrain. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026

That brisk storytelling economy is a good fit for Theron’s own terse, sinewy performance style. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026

On a street lined with sinewy banyan trees in Taipei’s Songshan District, school administrator Huang Huiming agrees that Beijing’s bet might not pan out. — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Apr. 2026