as in stout
being compact and broad in build and often short in stature
a short, thickset bulldog
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Recent Examples of thickset
The passenger door opened and a thickset man with a short beard and mustache got out.
—
Jamie Quatro, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
There’s a thickset dashboard dotted with prominent air vents and a thick, smooth center section that connects the door panels.
—Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver, 8 Aug. 2023
Julia's grandmother Zora was short and thickset and typical of the women of her generation in that her days consisted of brief breaks between cooking and cleaning—if not grocery shopping or preparing a meal, she could be found scrubbing the Khrushchyovka apartment with great fa- naticism.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 4 May 2021
And, with two big interior pockets, protective metal feet, and thickset handles, your luggage can accommodate everything this lifestyle entails.
—Irene Richardson, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2023
The thickset prison administrator, known as Bawar to his friends, had been keenly aware that the prison was vulnerable to assault.
—Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2022
The hotel's two restaurants, an offshoot of the Beefbar, and Biancaneve, are awash with more banquettes upholstered in colorful cozy fabrics arranged around thickset wood tables, a nod to the hotel's Alpine location.
—Rooksana Hossenally, Forbes, 31 Jan. 2022
The lecturer, a short, thickset man with a ruddy face and a big voice, was coming to the end of his talk.
—Joseph Loconte, National Review, 31 Aug. 2019
Jamie Quatro, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
There’s a thickset dashboard dotted with prominent air vents and a thick, smooth center section that connects the door panels.
—Andrew Wendler, Car and Driver, 8 Aug. 2023
Julia's grandmother Zora was short and thickset and typical of the women of her generation in that her days consisted of brief breaks between cooking and cleaning—if not grocery shopping or preparing a meal, she could be found scrubbing the Khrushchyovka apartment with great fa- naticism.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 4 May 2021
And, with two big interior pockets, protective metal feet, and thickset handles, your luggage can accommodate everything this lifestyle entails.
—Irene Richardson, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2023
The thickset prison administrator, known as Bawar to his friends, had been keenly aware that the prison was vulnerable to assault.
—Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2022
The hotel's two restaurants, an offshoot of the Beefbar, and Biancaneve, are awash with more banquettes upholstered in colorful cozy fabrics arranged around thickset wood tables, a nod to the hotel's Alpine location.
—Rooksana Hossenally, Forbes, 31 Jan. 2022
The lecturer, a short, thickset man with a ruddy face and a big voice, was coming to the end of his talk.
—Joseph Loconte, National Review, 31 Aug. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thickset
Adjective
-
Former top recruits Roderick Kearney, a stout (6-4, 307) redshirt sophomore able to play guard and center, and towering redshirt freshman tackle Fletcher Westphal (6-8, 336) will push for a spot in the rotation.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 June 2025
-
Their defense is anchored by a stout front that leads the league in rush defense, allowing just 80.9 rushing yards per game.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 June 2025
Adjective
-
Small and stocky birds perch, hunched over, on the treetops and branches of Lake Okeechobee on the edge of Florida’s swampy Everglades for the better part of winter.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2025
-
By contrast, the large but not gigantic great white is fairly stocky.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Its silky texture absorbs effortlessly, leaving the skin feeling plump and protected without any greasy residue.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
26 May 2025
-
It’s powered by ultra-low molecular collagen that penetrates deeply to firm and smooth fine lines, while oligo-hyaluronic acid hydrates better and faster than traditional HA, sinking in deeper and faster, leaving skin plump without heaviness.—
Marie Lodi,
Allure,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
The tune, a collaboration with Bruno Mars — whose presence surely helped the cut not only become a high-rising win but also a sturdy one — has now spent 34 weeks on the competitive tally.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
-
For your safety, move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
17 June 2025
Adjective
-
As thick clouds billowed out of Eyjafjallajökull, the skies over the North Atlantic — one of the world’s busiest aviation routes — fell silent, with air traffic dropping to levels that wouldn’t be seen again until the Covid pandemic a decade later.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
21 June 2025
-
Simply lather a thick coating of petroleum jelly onto the scratch.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
21 June 2025
Adjective
-
Sullivans Island Police Chief Glenn Meadows described the suspect as heavyset, in his 40s, balding with a goatee.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2025
-
The woman described the robbery suspect as a heavyset man with a beard, police said.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
20 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Thickset.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thickset. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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