adjective
Other Word Forms
- burlily adverb
- burliness noun
- unburly adjective
Etymology
Origin of burly
1250–1300; Middle English borli, burli, Old English borlīce (adv.) excellently, equivalent to bor ( a ) ruler + -līce -ly
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.
And Detective Webster strolled right in front of me, creating a burly barrier between my unsightly appearance and any passersby on the sidewalk to the bank.
From Literature
Like sailors hoisting a mighty sail, burly stagehands hauled thick ropes hand over hand to roll back the stage curtain, and the performance began.
From Literature
The burly man whose likeness stared down at her would never be mistaken for Quinzy, at least at first glance.
From Literature
A burly doorman stood watch at the entrance; happily, his uniform did not include a single tuft of fur.
From Literature
Even the burly Apollo Creed himself, Carl Weathers, doesn’t go down without losing his entire arm in a single laser slice.
From Salon
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.
