adjective
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Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of burly
1250–1300; Middle English borli, burli, Old English borlīce (adv.) excellently, equivalent to bor ( a ) ruler + -līce -ly
Explanation
The adjective burly describes someone (usually male) who is muscular and beefy. Types of people that you might describe as burly? Football players, wrestlers, and bouncers at nightclubs. The word burly is a synonym for words like husky, brawny, and muscular. The differences between the words can be subtle. Although they can all describe someone with beefy muscles, people tend not to think of burly as describing someone who has a lean, athletic muscular build. Burly is more often used to describe the guy that has a massive, muscular build, where his muscle may be tending toward fat.
Vocabulary lists containing burly
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Twilight
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The Tale of Despereaux
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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.
See Examples For:
From it emerged a 64-year-old dairyman, burly and tan, who left the engine running as he lumbered toward me with open arms.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Abdullah was known for his burly figure and his warm smile.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
Brunson, a burly scorer who does much of his work inside the 3-point arc, used the newfound space to pour in 35 points Monday night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
"When I went to go into the building these three big burly security guys came forward. They said 'Yes - can we help you?' and I had to sign in on a screen."
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
A big burly guy with slicked-back hair moved over to make room for me.
From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine
Humans, it turns out, may be just like animals, with cold-adapted species tending to be burlier with thicker, shorter limbs to limit heat loss.
From BBC ● May 11, 2023
With the help of heavy makeup and costume work, he first portrayed the much older, burlier dairyman in his 30s and quite literally aged into the role.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2023
After the hotly-contested casting of Tom Cruise as author Lee Child's pulp hero in a 2012 feature film, the far burlier Alan Ritchson has received a much warmer welcome.
From Salon ● May 9, 2022
For other cameras, removing burlier gloves to expose thin liners allows you to manipulate controls.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 11, 2021
This new white knight was not so tall nor comely as the old one, but he was bigger across the chest, burlier, his arms thick with muscle.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Quinn Hughes isn’t the biggest or burliest skater on the ice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
These guys make anyone think twice about running up the middle, possessing the size and skill to stop even the Big Ten’s burliest tailbacks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2024
California's burliest burglar is no longer the lone suspect in nearly 40 home break-ins across the Lake Tahoe region, wildlife officials have said.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2022
Even when the dead bodies Zachary Smeltz lifts for a living are hefty, he makes sure to handle even the burliest corpse in a gentle manner, masking any exertion.
From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2016
But the appearance of its owner, the burliest of several women now employing the establishment’s facilities, deterred him.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
