sturdy

[ stur-dee ]

See synonyms for: sturdy sturdily sturdiness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,stur·di·er, stur·di·est.

strongly built; stalwart; robust: sturdy young athletes.
strong, as in substance, construction, or texture: sturdy walls.

firm; courageous; indomitable: the sturdy defenders of the Alamo.
of strong or hardy growth, as a plant.

Origin of sturdy

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English stourdi, from Old French estourdi “dazed, reckless, stunned, violent,” past participle of estourdir “to daze, stun,” of disputed origin; perhaps ultimately from Latin ex- ex-¹ + a verb derivative of torpidus “numb,” turbus “disturbed,” or turdus “thrush”

Other words for sturdy

1	hardy, muscular, brawny, sinewy, stout, strong, powerful
3	resolute, vigorous, determined, unconquerable

See synonyms for sturdy on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for sturdy

weak

See antonyms for sturdy on Thesaurus.com

Other words from sturdy

stur·di·ly, adverb
stur·di·ness, noun
un·stur·di·ly, adverb
un·stur·di·ness, noun

Words Nearby sturdy

Other definitions for sturdy (2 of 2)

sturdy²

[ stur-dee ]

nounVeterinary Pathology.

gid.

Origin of sturdy

First recorded in 1560–70; noun use of sturdy¹ in obsolete sense “giddy”

Other words from sturdy

sturdied, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sturdy in a sentence

Its streamlined, but sturdy, exoskeleton may shield the insect from digestive juices.
Water beetles can live on after being eaten and excreted by a frog | Jonathan Lambert | August 3, 2020 | Science News
The club, helmed by second-year head coach James Clarkson, went through a roster overhaul in the offseason with a focus on fitness, efficiency in the attack and sturdier defense.
The Houston Dash Have Something To Prove | Bria Felicien | July 15, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
Using that solution as their base, the researchers added pollen-protecting ingredients, like calcium and potassium, along with a polymer to make the bubbles sturdy enough to withstand winds generated by drone propellers.
Bubble-blowing drones may one day aid artificial pollination | Maria Temming | June 22, 2020 | Science News
For example, most of the galleasses couldn’t carry the sturdy square sails because of the size of the galley-based hull.
Know Your Historical Warships: From 7th Century BC – 17th Century AD | Dattatreya Mandal | April 4, 2020 | Realm of History
Designed as a massive circular platform reinforced with sturdy metallic plates, and driven by wheels – the Armored Car was envisaged to have a crew of 8 members inside the hull.
14 Exceptional Weapon Systems from History That Were Ahead of their Time | Dattatreya Mandal | March 26, 2020 | Realm of History

British Dictionary definitions for sturdy (1 of 2)

sturdy¹

/ (ˈstɜːdɪ) /

adjective-dier or -diest

healthy, strong, and vigorous
strongly built; stalwart

Origin of sturdy

C13 (in the sense: rash, harsh): from Old French estordi dazed, from estordir to stun, perhaps ultimately related to Latin turdus a thrush (taken as representing drunkenness)

Derived forms of sturdy

sturdily, adverb
sturdiness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for sturdy (2 of 2)

sturdy²

/ (ˈstɜːdɪ) /

noun

vet science another name for staggers, gid

Origin of sturdy

C17: from sturdy 1 (in the obsolete sense: giddy)

Derived forms of sturdy

sturdied, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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