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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brawny
marked by a well-developed musculature
the sinewy arms of the weight lifter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 sinewy
The infected familiar from the original virus strain are now sinewy figures wandering the land, feral and naked, their clothes having disintegrated long ago.
—
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025
Her sinewy voice lends the song an effortlessly cool vibe, one perfect for the warm days ahead.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 9 June 2025
My legs: muscular during my years of playing varsity soccer and basketball and running track; long and sinewy in my later adult life; milky-pale every winter, yet sunburned often and easily in the summer.
—Laura Neilson, Vogue, 30 May 2025
Walter, whose polyphonic sensibility first charmed me in Beautiful Ruins, has here made something salty, sinewy, and satisfying from fairly tough material.
—Emily Temple
may 27, Literary Hub, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sinewy
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025
Her sinewy voice lends the song an effortlessly cool vibe, one perfect for the warm days ahead.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 9 June 2025
My legs: muscular during my years of playing varsity soccer and basketball and running track; long and sinewy in my later adult life; milky-pale every winter, yet sunburned often and easily in the summer.
—Laura Neilson, Vogue, 30 May 2025
Walter, whose polyphonic sensibility first charmed me in Beautiful Ruins, has here made something salty, sinewy, and satisfying from fairly tough material.
—Emily Temple
may 27, Literary Hub, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for sinewy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sinewy
Adjective
-
This test analyzes 20 key areas of nutritional and functional health, including a detailed look at metabolism, diet and all of their vital systems—from digestive and muscular to nervous and endocrine systems.—
Christine Persaud,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Two machines incorporated at Pintus’ request — one of them valued at more than €50,000 ($58,000; £43,000) — also played a more prominent role, allowing for exercises around muscular contractions and serving to test and measure the players’ progress.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Politically, the affluence manifested in Long Island establishing itself as a bastion of the Republican Party, showing strong support for Hoover in his doomed Presidential campaign against Roosevelt.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Since Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012, Chinese stories have increasingly included nods to Chinese nationalist (not just communist) soldiers fighting bravely, thus placing a strong, victorious, and morally righteous China at the forefront of the postwar global order.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
One of two vice-chairmen of the commission, the general is the third-most powerful commander of the People’s Liberation Army and has been considered a close associate of President Xi Jinping, the army’s commander-in-chief.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
-
The powerful currents of flash floods can carry drivers off the road.—
KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT,
Kansas City Star,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sinewy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sinewy. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share