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

Alongside their sinewy body form, the ancestors of seagrass carried with them from dry land two useful features that no sea creature possessed. — David George Haskell, Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026

Under spirited sprints around the Algarve region’s sinewy mountain roads, the range depletion wasn’t terrible, losing about 20 or 25 percent after 90 miles of pushing. — Sean Evans, Robb Report, 24 Mar. 2026

The best songs here are lean and sinewy showcases for his backing band, the Dark Clouds. — Stephen M. Deusner, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2026

The sinewy champion then cradled his wife, Presleigh, in his arm and kissed her at the front of the 18th green, along the water’s edge. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026