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big-boned

American  
[big-bohnd] / ˈbɪgˈboʊnd /

adjective

  1. having a bone structure that is massive in contrast with the surrounding flesh.


Etymology

Origin of big-boned

First recorded in 1600–10

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.

See Examples For:

At just over a foot tall, the “Maiden of Vulci” is an outlier in “Myth and Marble,” which is otherwise filled with big-boned, room-filling sculptures.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 22, 2025

These big-boned people pursued a semi-nomadic life on the steppes, tamed animals, kept domestic cattle and moved over large areas using horses and carts.

From Science Daily Feb. 8, 2024

Cassie, who also had “a Georgia Jagger gap between her front teeth,” was adventurous, self-assured and bold, whereas Julia was the more responsible of the two, and “as big-boned as Cassie was small.”

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 24, 2017

He installed a bar and lounge in the basement, a patio in the courtyard and a moody main dining area and open kitchen in the soaring, big-boned room at street level.

From New York Times Dec. 6, 2016

She was not curvy or big-boned; she was fat, it was the only word that felt true.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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