meaty

American  

[mee-tee] / ˈmi ti /

adjective

meatier, meatiest

1. of or like meat.

2. abounding in meat.

3. rich in content or thought-provoking matter; full of substance.

   a meaty topic for discussion.

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meaty British  

/ ˈmiːtɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or full of meat

   a meaty stew

2. heavily built; fleshy or brawny

3. full of import or interest

   a meaty discussion

4. Judaism another word for fleishik

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Other Word Forms

• meatily adverb
• meatiness noun

Etymology

Origin of meaty

First recorded in 1780–90; meat + -y ¹

Explanation

Something that's meaty is dense and chewy, or full of rich flavor, like meat. Believe it or not, a meaty portobello mushroom can be a good substitute for a hamburger. If you serve your guests a thick, meaty stew, that means it's actually full of chunks of meat, and when you cook a pan of vegetarian "bacon," it may smell so good and meaty that you tempt even your most carnivorous friends. A figurative way for something to be meaty is to be full of information or substance. A meaty essay will make your history teacher much happier than one that's thin and hastily written.

Example Sentences

YouTube is awash with videos of freaked-out Midwesterners batting the meaty fish from their boats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

But perhaps the most exciting news out of the event is just how meaty of a coaster Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift looks to be.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

Carl’s Jr., never a chain to shy away from meaty affairs, introduced its Cali XL burger, with two 3.5-ounce beef patties, in November.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 30, 2026

We started with khinkali, handheld Georgian soup dumplings with thick, meaty fillings.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025

They performed a crazy kind of dance with their claws to scratch apart the caked manure and expose the meaty grubs within.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• interesting
• weighty