adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
He is tatted, burly, and often dressed in black, with just enough gray in his beard to scan as learned.
From Slate • Feb. 15, 2026
"We need the Americans' support," said Fritz, a burly, bearded man with the flag of Alberta -- western Canada's oil-rich province -- draped around his shoulders.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
Norway’s Sven Seljom, a burly 57, described how he uses black Norwegian oats and prefers to use a spatula, to a chorus of boos.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 19, 2025
A burly bearded man in a blue tunic moved swiftly through grassy stubble on a windswept road in rural Damascus, collecting bones with his bare hands.
From BBC • Oct. 15, 2025
The burly man sits on a stool, holding the back door open with his back.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
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.
