1
as in muscular
having muscles capable of exerting great physical force
the store manager always asked the brawniest person there to do the heavy lifting
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sinewy
marked by a well-developed musculature
brawny arms that weren't developed in the gym but by years of work in the construction business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in athletic
strongly and heavily built
a tough little boy who's going to be a brawny man someday
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of brawny
At Flanders, the peloton’s big and brawny racers like Flemish hero Wout van Aert or Dutch racer Mathieu van der Poel get to shine.
—
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 2 Apr. 2025
With teammate Mikal Bridges tagging smaller facilitators, Anunoby takes the brawnier ones.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
The 331-mile trail in Kiso Valley provides respite with its brawny cedar and cypress trees but also serves a functional purpose.
—Haley Harrison, AFAR Media, 10 Apr. 2025
Whether that brawny youth can bring that sort of unbridled thinking under real-race weights, in real tack, against real, experienced racehorses that have won multiple stakes remains to be seen.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 2 Apr. 2025
With teammate Mikal Bridges tagging smaller facilitators, Anunoby takes the brawnier ones.
—Fred Katz, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
The 331-mile trail in Kiso Valley provides respite with its brawny cedar and cypress trees but also serves a functional purpose.
—Haley Harrison, AFAR Media, 10 Apr. 2025
Whether that brawny youth can bring that sort of unbridled thinking under real-race weights, in real tack, against real, experienced racehorses that have won multiple stakes remains to be seen.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brawny
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawny
Adjective
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Outside the venue, fans spotted an art installation featuring a muscular figure enclosed in a clear box — seemingly a nod to the upcoming album’s cover art.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
19 July 2025
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The killings began just days after Thomas Barrack, President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Syria (and the U.S. ambassador to Turkey) laid out a muscular vision for a centralized Syria.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
18 July 2025
Adjective
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Rice has been named head of ceremonies and content for the Olympic and Paralympic Games set to take place in Los Angeles in the summer of 2028, a move that taps a Hollywood executive to find new ways to communicate the grandeur of the athletic extravaganza during some of its signature events.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
23 July 2025
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Then, lace up your running shoes over the new wardrobe additions and crush all your athletic goals in style.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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This results in a charge imbalance that builds up an electric field strong enough to trigger flashes of lightning.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
13 Jan. 2023
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According to research from Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control, strong gun control laws are correlated with fewer gun deaths.—
Elliot Hughes,
Journal Sentinel,
13 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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Instead, aboard the spacecraft will be twin NASA satellites that will orbit Earth in tandem while studying how the sun's powerful activity can disrupt our planet's magnetosphere.—
Eric Lagatta,
AZCentral.com,
22 July 2025
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The secretary said that some trade deals have marked powerful forward movement for the U.S.’ interests.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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The Cyclades are famed for postcard-perfect sunsets—while Crete offers rugged gorges and myth-laden palaces.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
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Made from rugged canvas, the shell will last a lifetime.—
Christopher Murray
may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom.,
FOXNews.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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The burly 22-year-old just needed something to go right.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 July 2025
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Emanuel Hershberger—Manny to his friends—has an iron handshake, a bushy chin-strap beard, and the burly shoulders of a man who spends his downtime tending a 40-acre farm without mechanized equipment.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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Some observers are predicting peak oil is imminent in the mighty Permian basin, and in the whole world by 2030.—
Ian Dexter Palmer,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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The lodge sits at the end of the North Rim’s only road and foregrounds visitors’ first views of Arizona’s geological wonder, a canyon shaped over millions of years by the Colorado River’s mighty flows.—
Christian Thorsberg,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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The pockets vary in size, some being small enough for a little flash drive and others large enough to fit the beefiest of portable chargers.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
3 July 2025
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While waves were beefy and allowed for plenty of surf excitement throughout the event, the swell picked up even more for the finals day on Saturday, with sets upward of 8 feet, even larger as the swell filled in throughout the day.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
14 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brawny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawny. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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