burly

[ bur-lee ]

adjective

, bur·li·er, bur·li·est.

1. large in bodily size; stout; sturdy.

   Synonyms: hefty, beefy, thickset, brawny, stocky, strapping

   Antonyms: frail, weak, puny

2. bluff; brusque.

burly

/ ˈbɜːlɪ /

adjective

1. large and thick of build; sturdy; stout

Derived Forms

• ˈburliness, noun

Other Words From

• burli·ly adverb
• burli·ness noun
• un·burly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of burly¹

1250–1300; Middle English borli, burli, Old English borlīce (adv.) excellently, equivalent to bor ( a ) ruler + -līce -ly

Word History and Origins

Origin of burly¹

C13: of Germanic origin; compare Old High German burlīh lofty

Example Sentences

This burly gear will keep you safe as you venture into the dark.

From Popular-Science

While matters of opinion—including those thrown out in the hurly-burly of a talk show segment—are typically outside the realm of defamation, courts may find at least some of the “dozens” of allegedly false claims do not qualify as opinion.

From Fortune

The new card is burly enough to enable 120 frames per second performance in VR headsets like the Valve Index for super-smooth motion during any task.

From Popular-Science

I’d quadruple the recipe if you want to make more than just a batch, or skip the sandwiching altogether, which made for some pretty burly cookies.

From Eater

Not waiting around, which would make sense somewhat since Yang himself left the hurly-burly of the campaign back in February.

From Ozy

A burly Belgian, strapped with grenades and ammunition, towered above them.

From The Daily Beast

Based on his sock puppet, I expected him to be a burly bearded giant clad in plaid—basically, a Canadian Paul Bunyan.

From The Daily Beast

The film tells the story of Ron “Stray Dog” Hall, a burly, sixtysomething biker and Vietnam vet.

From The Daily Beast

She tried the direct, how-do-you-do handshake approach, but was blocked by a burly aide-de-camp.

From The Daily Beast

In recent years, Montana has been electing a certain breed of burly, alpha male Democrats.

From The Daily Beast

Tom himself was burly, ruddy, broad, and rather above middle size.

From Project Gutenberg

This hurly-burly,” said he, drawing her into a quiet eddy of the stream, “is no place for the communion of two twin souls.

From Project Gutenberg

Out of a dark porch, ten paces along Bond Street, appeared a burly figure to fall into step a few yards behind Gray.

From Project Gutenberg

A man, burly and broad-shouldered, who had the air of a professional bully, walked by himself ahead.

From Project Gutenberg

A burly warrior scooped up coals on a piece of bark and with a fiendish grin leaped through the smoke.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• able-bodied
• athletic
• beefy
• brawny
• bulky
• hulking
• muscular
• portly
• stocky
• stout
• strapping
• sturdy