brawny
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of brawny
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at brawn, -y 1
Explanation
Someone brawny is bulky and muscular. Most football players are brawny. Brawn refers to muscles and physical strength: people often contrast brains and brawn. Therefore, if someone is brawny, they have large muscles and are quite strong. Many athletes are brawny, especially ones such as weightlifters and football players. Tennis players and jockeys are usually smaller and not so brawny. A brawny person is big, strong, rugged, and tough. If you'd like to be brawnier, go to the gym.
Vocabulary lists containing brawny
Twelve Days in May
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The City of Ember
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Vigorous Vocab: Synonyms for "Strong"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Appeared in the February 7, 2026, print edition as 'A Brawny F-Series Pickup, Dressed to the Nines'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
As the subsidiary declared bankruptcy, the “new” Georgia-Pacific continued to produce Brawny paper towels and other lucrative brands.
From Reuters • Feb. 4, 2022
An early clue: She meets and falls for Duncan, who “looked like the Brawny paper towel man.”
From Washington Post • Apr. 19, 2021
It was just a year ago that the Stephen F. Austin mascot — think Brawny paper towel guy in a sleeveless flannel shirt and jeans, with a mullet — went viral.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2015
Brawny men in pastel scrubs descend on you from nowhere.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
