thickset

adjective

thick·​set ˈthik-ˌset 

1

: closely placed

also : growing thickly

a thickset wood

2

: having a thick body : burly

Synonyms

• chunky
• dumpy
• heavyset
• squat
• squatty
• stocky
• stout
• stubby
• stumpy

Examples of thickset in a Sentence

a short, thickset bulldog

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for thickset

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• brevet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette

Kids Definition

thickset

adjective

thick·​set ˈthik-ˈset 

1

: closely placed or planted

2

: of short stout build : stocky