sinewy

adjective

sin·​ewy ˈsin-yə-wē 

 also  ˈsi-nə-

1

: full of sinews: such as

a

: tough, stringy

sinewy meat

b

: strong

sinewy arms

2

: marked by the strength of sinews

a demanding sinewy intelligence

—Helen Dudar

Synonyms

• brawny
• muscular
• rugged
• stalwart
• stout
• strong

Examples of sinewy in a Sentence

The lion has a sinewy body.

a sinewy piece of meat

Recent Examples on the Web

But the truth is that Neeson, with his towering presence and sinewy resolve, is always better than the movies themselves. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Nov. 2024

Nicknamed the Blood Wyrm for his color, sinewy build, and taste for violence, Caraxes is significantly younger and smaller than his counterpart. —Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 8 July 2024

As tourists stumble by with tall cans of Bud Light Lime and cigarettes in hand, Sell’s tattooed, sinewy limbs stretch a matching Lacoste tee and shorts, with the requisite crocodile emblems and matching bright-red shoes. —Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024

And Abercrombie was shunned for its use of sinewy, overwhelmingly white models and for selling T-shirts that were decidedly racist. —Jonathan Dienst, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sinewy

adjective

sin·​ewy ˈsin-yə-wē 

 also  ˈsin-ə-

1

: full of sinews : stringy

sinewy meat

2

: strong sense 1

sinewy arms