Muscular Meaning
/ˈmʌs.kjʊl.ə/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf, relating to, or connected with muscles.
adjBrawny, thewy, having strength.
Sentence Examples
My muscular strength has weakened from lack of exercise.
With his muscular constitution he passes for a judoist.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ athlete could easily lift 200 pounds due to his extremely strong body.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The athlete's ____ build was a result of many years of intense weightlifting and a very strict diet designed to build serious physical strength.
Word Origin & History
Late 17th century; from muscle (Latin mūsculus) + -ar. Compare French musculaire.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It was an effort of the mind, of the will, of the nerves; not muscular, for I could not move even so much as my little finger, but none the less mighty for all that."
— 1912 February–July, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Under the Moons of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as “The Escape of the Dead”, in A Princess of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., October 1917, →OCLC, page 18:
"It was a strange figure—like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man, [...] The arms were very long and muscular; the hands the same, as if its hold were of uncommon strength."
— 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits.”, in A Christmas Carol. […], London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, page 43:
"Future prime ministers may struggle to replicate the sort of muscular countrywide support that [Narendra] Modi was able to earn."
— 2014 July 9, Samanth Subramanian, “India after English?”, in The New York Review of Books, archived from the original on 10 Sep 2019:
"The conservative movement faces real internal contradictions. On the one hand, there is deep skepticism of Washington-based power — think of the tea party and its “Don’t tread on me” bumper stickers. On the other, there is an eager embrace of a muscular view of the presidency for Trump, and before him, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney."
— 2025 February 26, Aziz Huq, “Conservatives on the Supreme Court May Not Fully Align With Trump”, in Politico:
"Playing out now, with Florida leading, is one of the most muscular policing movements in modern times."
— 2025 May 13, Patrik Jonsson, “Beat cops to game wardens, Florida expands ‘army’ of immigration enforcers”, in The Christian Science Monitor:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ athlete could easily lift 200 pounds due to his extremely strong body.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The athlete's ____ build was a result of many years of intense weightlifting and a very strict diet designed to build serious physical strength.