Dictionary Thesaurus Word Dynamo Quotes Reference Translator Spanish

muscular

[muhs-kyuh-ler]

adjective

of or pertaining to muscle or the muscles: muscular strain.

dependent on or affected by the muscles: muscular strength.

having well-developed muscles; brawny.

vigorously and forcefully expressed, executed, performed, etc., as if by the use of a great deal of muscular power: a muscular response to terrorism.

broad and energetic, especially with the implication that subtlety and grace are lacking: a muscular style.

EXPAND

reflected in physical activity and work: a muscular religion.

Informal. having or showing power; powerful: a muscular vehicle.

COLLAPSE

Origin:
1675–85; < Latin mūscul(us) muscle + -ar¹

Related forms

mus·cu·lar·i·ty, noun

mus·cu·lar·ly, adverb

in·ter·mus·cu·lar, adjective

in·ter·mus·cu·lar·ly, adverb

in·ter·mus·cu·lar·i·ty, noun

EXPAND

non·mus·cu·lar, adjective

non·mus·cu·lar·ly, adverb

post·mus·cu·lar, adjective

sub·mus·cu·lar, adjective

sub·mus·cu·lar·ly, adverb

un·mus·cu·lar, adjective

un·mus·cu·lar·ly, adverb

COLLAPSE

Synonyms
3. sinewy; strong, powerful; stalwart, sturdy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To muscular

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Muscular is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Example Sentences

Muscular dystrophy is a group of disorders that involve muscle weakness and loss of muscle tissue that get worse over time.

In politics, the right wing expression of this dissonance is a muscular foreign policy.

Replacing defective genes holds out great promise for people suffering from diseases such as muscular dystrophy and cancer.

EXPAND

Muscular dystrophy is a group of disorders that involve muscle weakness and loss of muscle tissue that get worse over time.

In politics, the right wing expression of this dissonance is a muscular foreign policy.

Replacing defective genes holds out great promise for people suffering from diseases such as muscular dystrophy and cancer.

The skull of the dino suggests it was a muscular vegetarian, with hundreds of teeth for chomping woody plants, a new study says.

Now they have engineered another batch of overly muscular rodents.

He found the muscular football players appalling and despaired of finding a barber who could give a proper haircut.

The machine isn't that strong, much less so than a muscular man.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rapidly-worsening form of muscular dystrophy.

He was also uncomfortable with the muscular nationalism other musicians were embracing.

Mountain lions are strong jumpers, thanks to muscular hind legs that are longer than their front legs.

Chromatophores are connected to the nervous system, and their size is determined by muscular contractions.

Angels have muscular wings in proportion to their size”.

The cursor clicks, an icon of a muscular warrior lights up, and the game begins.

Becker's muscular dystrophy is an inherited disorder that involves slowly worsening muscle weakness of the legs and pelvis.

Bone grows in response to strenuous muscular activity, particularly if exercise starts in childhood.

Elephant trunks and tongues are other examples of a muscular hydrostat.

The physiological origin of this rumbling involves muscular activity in the stomach and small intestines.

It's equipped with electro muscular disruption technology, which effectively short-circuits the central nervous system.

There is still no cure, but some hospitals around the country are expanding the lives of muscular dystrophy patients.

Behind this muscular display, however, is a more nuanced reality.

That's a great, incredible lesson-the lesson of muscular restraint.

But it's all there-the tiny arms, the huge head, the large teeth and muscular jaw.

But the video shows lithe, muscular skater-types powering down the sidewalk with ease.

Geneticists report they have seen a dead gene come back to life and cause a common form of muscular dystrophy.

What is missing is more muscular outside intervention.

Suddenly sharp teeth grab the rat and something quickly wraps the rodent with its long, strong, muscular body.

First, a squid expands its mantle-the cloak of soft muscular tissue that surrounds its body-which fills with water.

Unfortunately, the studded interior of this sleeve is more middling than muscular.

Stepanek published five volumes of poetry and became an advocate for people with muscular dystrophy.

Benton's compositions consisted of muscular gestures arranged evenly across large surfaces.

Although they can release their muscular foothold to tumble in a current-a few can even swim freely-they are rarely in a hurry.

In this theory, neurons are tied to our muscular action and external senses.

It was an herbivore, and judging from the artists' renderings, quite muscular.

Lisa, who also had muscular dystrophy, left a void in his life that the long hours of programming help fill.

Now justice's arms are looking longer and more muscular.

Guanlong's muscular limbs show that early tyrannosaurs probably snatched prey with their arms.

Thus, overall, the stress of repeated bouts of exercise yield neural as well as muscular enhancements to increase muscle strength.

The muscular arms that show the physically demanding work he does.

Medical tests showed he suffered from muscular dystrophy, the hospital said.

Your observation of baldness and stocky muscular build may be connected, but likely not by psychological compensation.

The majors use their muscular jaws to crush seeds that the smaller workers bring back to the nest.

Well, maybe if you had the courage and the muscular strength.

As a result, animals with supercharged muscular strength rule the skies, and plant growth is rampant.

They say that five or six hours of quietude and muscular inactivity, with only occasional variations of position, and during.

What enabled them to change was growth, coupled with muscular policymaking.

It was long thought that these dinosaurs employed rocks in a muscular gizzard to break up ingested plant.

Genetic research on dark crystal lasing simulate strong muscular development observed for these people.

My father has muscular dystrophy and still had two children.

In front of the immigration judge, the tall, muscular man began to weep.

Some of this family resemblance is certainly a consequence of similar muscular and skeletal structures underlying the face.

El cuerpo necesita proteína para crear masa muscular y producir nuevas células sanguíneas.

Sunshine on my muscular shoulders is the best antidepressant around.

Nolan constructs a muscular movie that resists any temptation to lighten up on the outlandish tangents.

Muscular wrestlers and willowy swimmers shopped in the arcade.

There must be something more to the success of such a varied group than their skeletal and muscular inheritance.

It's long and low, with an aggressive stance and a muscular look.

It's possible that their muscular strength is not keeping pace with their growing body size.

The third question is whether the country's people want a muscular foreign policy.

Muscular movement plays an important role but, unlike in football or basketball, not a dominant one.

The colon, or large intestine, is a muscular tube that begins at the end of the small intestine and ends at the rectum.

Singing, or playing a musical instrument, requires fine muscular control.

All those campaign stops on the factory floor, posing beside muscular men in overalls and hard hats, seem to have paid off.

There is something to be said for strong, muscular central government.

Human males are also more muscular as a reflection of the needs of hunting and of protecting their families.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

muscular (ˈmʌskjʊlə)

—*adj*
1.	having well-developed muscles; brawny
2.	of, relating to, or consisting of muscle

[C17: from New Latin muscularis, from musculusmuscle]

muscularity

—n

'muscularly

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

muscular

1680s, "pertaining to muscles," from Mod.L. musculus (see muscle). Meaning "having well-developed muscles" is from 1736. Muscular Christianity (1857) is originally in ref. to philosophy of Anglican clergyman and novelist Charles Kingsley (1819-1875).

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

muscular mus·cu·lar (mŭs'kyə-lər)
adj.

Of, relating to, or consisting of muscle.
Having or characterized by well-developed muscles.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

muscle

(mŭs'əl) Pronunciation Key
A body tissue composed of sheets or bundles of cells that contract to produce movement or increase tension. Muscle cells contain filaments made of the proteins actin and myosin, which lie parallel to each other. When a muscle is signaled to contract, the actin and myosin filaments slide past each other in an overlapping pattern. ◇ Skeletal muscle effects voluntary movement and is made up of bundles of elongated cells (muscle fibers), each of which contains many nuclei. ◇ Smooth muscle provides the contractile force for the internal organs and is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Smooth muscle cells are spindle-shaped and each contains a single nucleus. ◇ Cardiac muscle makes up the muscle of the heart and consists of a meshwork of striated cells.

muscular adjective

Word Dynamo By Dictionary.com

Searching for muscular?
How many words do you actually know?

FIND OUT

Related Words

muscle spasm jerk jump strong -kinesia

abasia achalasia action adiadochokinesia Akita American shorthair cat

Matching Quote

"The genius of the Saxon race, friendly to liberty; the enterprise, the very muscular vigor of this nation, are inconsistent with slavery."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Thesaurus

About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help