as in athletic
strongly and heavily built
a burly delivery man brought the furniture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 burly
The Coast Guard’s most immediate need was for heavy icebreakers, burlier ships that can handle missions in the Arctic as well as supply runs to the U.S. research station at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.
—
Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 23 Jan. 2025
Allen, 35, the city worker, is a burly University of Kansas graduate from Shawnee who, in his 20s, battled and beat his own addictions.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 13 Jan. 2025
The burly defenseman was arguably the Flyers’ best player in their home-and-home with the Maple Leafs, playing a physical game while roaming all around the ice and creating scoring chances, too.
—Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
On a Friday in early December, Hopkins dragged burly limbs from the path of the tractor-like machine that picks his cotton crop six rows at a time.
—Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for burly 
Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 23 Jan. 2025
Allen, 35, the city worker, is a burly University of Kansas graduate from Shawnee who, in his 20s, battled and beat his own addictions.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 13 Jan. 2025
The burly defenseman was arguably the Flyers’ best player in their home-and-home with the Maple Leafs, playing a physical game while roaming all around the ice and creating scoring chances, too.
—Kevin Kurz, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
On a Friday in early December, Hopkins dragged burly limbs from the path of the tractor-like machine that picks his cotton crop six rows at a time.
—Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for burly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burly
Adjective
-
The Athletic is not privy to the intricacy of the greeting, given the true confidentiality of how Seals, even ones at an athletic apparel brand, slither behind the scenes.—
C. Clark, M. Vorkunov and F. Katz,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
-
The artistic gymnast and California native have consistently supported each other's athletic careers.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
While those odds of an impact are slim, astronomers are closely tracking the space rock to uncover more details — a process that could soon involve the most powerful observatory ever launched into space.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN,
15 Feb. 2025
-
In the costume drama based on Guy de Maupassant’s 1885 novel of the same name, Pattinson portrayed an ambitious and amoral social striver, a former soldier who seeks to improve his fortunes by seducing the wives (played by Christina Ricci, Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas) of powerful men.—
Kevin Cassidy,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
My husky boy feet cemented into the concrete veranda.—
Diane Seuss,
Harper's Magazine,
2 July 2024
-
Warren’s deep, husky voice frees himself from the blame of an unhealthy relationship over a stomping piano beat.—
Rania Aniftos,
Billboard,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
It was followed up by the bigger and beefier Octo Max, which adds some more tools to the mix.—
Ben Coxworth,
New Atlas,
5 Feb. 2025
-
Benelli There are beefy CST tires on 16-inch cast-aluminum wheels.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
The small but mighty Tucson, is now in its fourth generation, which arrived in 2020.—
Kristan Hawkins,
Newsweek,
6 Feb. 2025
-
This small but mighty fan is powerful, with two cooling speeds and a maximum run time of 22 hours, which is great for back-to-back or long-haul flights.—
Jillian Dara,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Sam might be the new Captain, but he’s refused to take the special serum that turned the once-scrawny Brooklyn boy Rogers into a beefy, brawny super-soldier, which just adds to the impostor syndrome.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
12 Feb. 2025
-
There’s a steak on offer, a brawny New York strip, cooked to a perfect medium rare but presented, for some reason, next to a pile of vinegary sautéed red bell peppers, and a saucier of funky, fishy crawfish béarnaise.—
Helen Rosner,
The New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
What exactly does Child want this hulking avenger to represent?—
Stephen Schaefer,
Boston Herald,
16 Feb. 2025
-
Ranging in size from babies around a foot high to hulking adults, the creatures look more goofy than menacing.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
But the Panthers need an upgrade at nose tackle, where Shy Tuttle hasn’t been stout enough.—
Dan Pompei,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Already stout against the run, Sieler had 10 sacks this past season and 20 since the start of 2023, the most by any NFL interior lineman.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near burly
Cite this Entry
“Burly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burly. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share