physique
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of physique
1820–30; < French < Latin physicus. See physic
Explanation
Physique is a word used to describe the form or shape of the human body. If you have a buff physique, you’re in great shape. Well done. Physique, pronounced "fiz-eek,” is from French for “physical.” Someone with a muscular physique has been getting physical in the gym. Everyone has a physique (except ghosts) but the word often refers to a muscular or well-sculpted body. Sometimes people who train for events like marathons or body-building competitions like to take pictures of their physiques before and after.
Vocabulary lists containing physique
And Then There Were None
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English Words Derived from French, List 4
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Dumplin'
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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 artist also chronicled his own face and physique from youth through old age, with unflinching depictions of time’s toll.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
The president’s son called Navarro “my boy” and complimented him on the “jacked” physique he developed while in prison.
From Salon • May 31, 2026
As I said, bulldogs have a unique physique that can age them more quickly.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
And yet, though he at first worried he wouldn’t look big enough, Gadd refused to portray Ruben with a chiseled physique conceived for mere aesthetics.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
He was also strikingly handsome with a bodybuilder’s physique and the chiseled features of a movie star.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
