buxom
Americanadjective
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(of a woman) full-bosomed.
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(of a woman) healthy, plump, cheerful, and lively.
adjective
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(esp of a woman) healthily plump, attractive, and vigorous
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(of a woman) full-bosomed
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of buxom
1125–75; Middle English, earlier buhsum pliant, equivalent to Old English būh (variant stem of būgan to bow 1 ) + -sum -some 1
Explanation
Buxom is a word that's typically used to describe someone who's full-figured or voluptuous. Although anyone plump and healthy can be buxom, buxom implies having a full chest area. A man can be described as buxom if he has a big barrel chest, but buxom usually describes women. The word buxom used to mean “obedient,” then it meant “cheerful,” and now it’s used just as a physical description.
Vocabulary lists containing buxom
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
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Typical American
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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.
The buxom stall-owner lifts a furry, giant hare, its dead eyes glazed, as a primly dressed female customer offers coins in payment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Spanish novelist Cervantes tells of gaunt, aging and bemused Don Quixote, portly Sancho and buxom Dulcinea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2020
And there is action aplenty, including John Keene’s busy all-male chorus — some of whom are dressed as buxom, bearded servant women to great effect.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 21, 2019
By the chapter’s close, with a newly minted identity as a buxom transgender woman, the story of Tish is working out happily.
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2018
My Miss Kirwin, who was a tall, florid, buxom lady with battleship-gray hair, taught civics and current events.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
