corpulent

adjective

cor·​pu·​lent ˈkȯr-pyə-lənt 

: having a large bulky body : obese

… were a bit corpulent from too many years of privileged living …

—Thomas Cutler

corpulently adverb

Did you know?

The Duchess of Windsor may have said that you can never be too rich or too thin, but that's a rather modern point of view. In earlier times in Europe, being overweight was considered a sign of wealth and well-being, as demonstrated by the corpulence of many European kings. Still today, corpulence is thought to be superior to thinness in some of the world's cultures. But corpulent and corpulence are less often used than they once were, and we're now probably more likely to say "obese" and "obesity".

Synonyms

• plump
• fat
• round

Examples of corpulent in a Sentence

a corpulent, elegantly dressed opera singer came out and sang, and we knew it was over

Recent Examples on the Web

In Brazil, she is represented by an image of a white, skinny woman, while in Africa her image shows a corpulent woman with big milking breasts. —Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025

All of them follow this corpulent detective, Nero, who lives in a town house with his butler, Fritz. —The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024

But Beijing’s intent is merely to protect its own citizens, meaning the gangs are shifting their focus towards the corpulent West instead. —TIME, 21 Mar. 2024

So does the casting of Martin Short as Kingfish, a corpulent gill-man who lays around like Jabba the Hutt. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, borrowed from Latin corpulentus, from corpus "body" + -ulentus "having in quantity, full of" — more at midriff

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

corpulent

adjective

cor·​pu·​lent ˈkȯr-pyə-lənt 

: very fat : obese

Medical Definition

corpulent

adjective

cor·​pu·​lent -lənt 

: having a large bulky body : obese

corpulently adverb