BRAWNY Synonyms: 119 Similar and Opposite Words

brawny

adjective

ˈbrȯ-nē

Definition of brawny

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

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

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

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 brawny The comparison suggests Mexican winemaking is a monolith and that its offerings mimic Napa’s brawny fruit-forward wines—two deeply misguided assumptions. — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 June 2026 In its first return to theaters since the female-forward phenomenon, the El Segundo toymaker is turning to the brawny He-Man for another box-office lift. — Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026 He gets reacquainted 15 years later with his Sword of Power along with childhood chum Teela (Camila Mendes), who’s brainier and brawnier than the majority of the guys, and his former Man-at-Arms Duncan (Idris Elba), the former protector of Adam’s family. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 3 June 2026 Yet once Adam is fully in command of his sword, so to speak, and subjected to a brawny He-Man makeover that at least spares him the lank bowl cut of the original model, things get rather less spry. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for brawny

Recent Examples of Synonyms for brawny

Adjective

The sense of doom freed them to push hard into a rich new pop direction, filling Sound of Lies with songs that were deeply felt and sometimes dark amid the muscular pop hooks.

— Steve Appleford, SPIN, 31 Aug. 2026
Years later, while O’Brien was developing Rocky Horror, the two ran into each other outside a London gym where O’Brien had been scouting muscular men for the show.

— Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of muscular

Adjective

The sixth-year forward is an athletic rebounder and has learned to fill the gaps created by defenses focusing on Wilson in the frontcourt.

— Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Baiz takes over for longtime ARC head coach Jon Osterhout, now the assistant athletic director and chief of staff of Sacramento State’s football program, his alma mater.

— JOE DAVIDSON, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of athletic

Adjective

Davis delivered a strong preseason, but he is now likely headed to a redshirt rookie season unless injuries strike at tackle.

— Dan Duggan, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
There’s no denying that the fall 2026 runways made a strong case for color; even the street style scene is on board, slipping into colorful shoes and sporting handbags in a variety of vibrant shades—baby pink, chartreuse, and cobalt.

— Laura Jackson, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of strong

Adjective

Experts said it was most likely caused by a partial glacier collapse that sent tons of ice and rock crashing down into the valley below, setting off a powerful landslide.

— Jennifer Jett, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026
Hacking incident Hugging Face was recently at the center of a hacking incident that raised concerns about the rapid evolution of powerful AI and cybersecurity tools.

— April Roach, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of powerful

Adjective

The fire remains active in all directions — primarily within the Ventana Wilderness, which is also remote and rugged terrain.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Civilian infrastructure failed or disappeared, telecommunications broke down, and hundreds of thousands of people were stranded in what was already a relatively remote, rugged corner of the country.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of rugged

Adjective

This burly and battle-tested Chaminade-Madonna offensive line is led by three-star 6-foot-5 guard Devon Munnings, who is committed to Liberty.

— Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 27 Aug. 2026
Taylor Lally is a blue-eyed, burly, bespectacled man, with a beard about halfway to the the full Duck Dynasty look.

— Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of burly

Adjective

Anything larger would’ve been biting off more than even mighty Roman, with its panoramic field of view, could readily chew.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 29 Aug. 2026
Himalayan build-out The Himalayan landmass rises from shifting fault lines and is sliced by mighty rivers that are fed by glaciers.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of mighty

Browse Nearby Words

brawniness

brawny

bray

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Brawny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brawny. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of brawny

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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