musclebound

[ muhs-uhl-bound ]

/ ˈmʌs əlˌbaʊnd /

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adjective

having enlarged and inelastic muscles, as from excessive exercise.

rigid; inflexible: musclebound rules.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of musclebound

First recorded in 1875–80; muscle + -bound¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use musclebound in a sentence

That act forever sealed his feeling for the Chief, bound it up with the war, with violence, with the gun.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They were born in 51 countries and speak 59 foreign languages, but they seemed bound by a single purpose and resolve.
Cop Families Boo De Blasio at NYPD Graduation|Michael Daly|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bound together by mutual distrust, both sides end up lashing themselves to the mast of rigid law.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Security guards have also been posted to add some muscle (but this has done little to deter vandals in past years).
Sweden’s Burning Christmas Goat|Nina Strochlic|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Companies like Delta, Apple, and Nike flex their political muscle on behalf of gay rights.
Corporations Are No Longer Silent on LGBT Issues||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the thirteenth of the same month they bound to the stake, in order to burn alive, a man who had two religious in his house.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
A small book, bound in full purple calf, lay half hidden in a nest of fine tissue paper on the dressing-table.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
A good many children seem to be like savages in distinguishing those to whom one is bound to speak the truth.
Children's Ways|James Sully
These officers are bound to maintayne themselves and families with food and rayment by their owne and their servant's industrie.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
A flock of weary sheep pattered along the road, barnward bound, heavy eyed and bleating softly.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd

British Dictionary definitions for musclebound

muscle-bound

adjective

having overdeveloped and inelastic muscles

lacking flexibility

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012