muscular

adjective

mus·​cu·​lar ˈmə-skyə-lər How to pronounce muscular (audio)
Synonyms of muscularnext
1
a
: of, relating to, or constituting muscle
b
: of, relating to, or performed by the muscles
2
: having well-developed musculature
3
a
: of or relating to physical strength : brawny
b
: having strength of expression or character : vigorous
muscular prose
c
: characterized by forcefulness or resolve
muscular foreign policy
d
: full-bodied
muscular wines
muscularity
ˌmə-skyə-ˈla-rə-tē How to pronounce muscular (audio)
-ˈler-ə-tē
noun
muscularly
ˈməs-kyə-lər-lē How to pronounce muscular (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of muscular

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of muscular in a Sentence

He has a muscular physique. His legs are very muscular.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
My wife requires a cane or walker due to spinal stenosis and muscular weakness. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 Oct. 2026 Working in Europe has advantages, but distribution is not as muscular as in Hollywood. — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026 Coming in the next issue, our White House correspondent Linda Feldmann reports on why that muscular approach – supported by his loyal base – might continue regardless of who wins control of Congress. — Mark Trumbull, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Oct. 2026 Johnson also appears to have a notably narrower physique than his usual muscular build. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for muscular

Word History

First Known Use

1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of muscular was in 1670

Phrases Containing muscular

Rhymes for muscular

See All Rhymes for muscular

Browse Nearby Words

muscul-
muscular
muscular dystrophy
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Muscular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muscular. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

muscular

adjective
mus·​cu·​lar ˈməs-kyə-lər How to pronounce muscular (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, or being muscle
b
: performed by the muscles
2
: having well-developed muscles : strong

Medical Definition

muscular

adjective
mus·​cu·​lar ˈməs-kyə-lər How to pronounce muscular (audio)
1
a
: of, relating to, or constituting muscle
b
: of, relating to, or performed by the muscles
2
: having well-developed musculature
muscularly
ˈməs-kyə-lər-lē How to pronounce muscular (audio)
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All