sinewy

[sin-yoo-ee]

See more synonyms for sinewy on Thesaurus.com

adjective

having strong sinews: a sinewy back.
of or like sinews; tough, firm, braided, or resilient: a sinewy rope.
having conspicuous sinews; stringy: tough, sinewy meat.

vigorous or forceful, as language, style, etc.: a sinewy argument.

Origin of sinewy

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at sinew, -y¹

Related formssin·ew·i·ness, nounun·sin·ew·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for sinewy

leathery, brawny, muscular, sturdy, athletic, fibrous, firm, hard, powerful, strong, vigorous

Examples from the Web for sinewy

Contemporary Examples of sinewy

His flesh is sagging a bit, but he is still trim and looks lean, sinewy and tough.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile
Robert Ward
January 3, 2015
A sinewy woman emerges, stepping out onto the gray city sidewalk.
The Making of Kiesza: From Navy Sharpshooter to Beauty Queen to Pop Diva
Marlow Stern
October 20, 2014
Charles Ray has a suite of 15 ink-on-paper paintings in an adjacent room, depicting flowers with sinewy, rainbow-colored petals.
Best of the Whitney Biennial
Rachel Wolff
February 24, 2010
The sinewy muscles of his arms bunched together fiercely at his shoulder.
'Are You Also With Fever?'
Dr. Abraham Verghese
February 11, 2009
There was some talk, that maybe, just maybe, this sinewy kid would be a hell of a ticket asset.
The Capital Goes Nuts
Simon Schama
November 6, 2008

Historical Examples of sinewy

Dilly was a very little woman, with abnormally long and sinewy arms.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
But Modred was in the pride of youth; muscular and sinewy was the frame of Modred.
Imogen
William Godwin
The man is of a fine American type, sinewy, resolute, hawk-eyed.
Mountain Meditations
L. Lind-af-Hageby
Naked, lean-muscled and sinewy, Kashtanov paused before the door of the cage.
Raiders Invisible
Desmond Winter Hall
It was not as brown as hers, but the fingers were long and sinewy.
The Vagrant Duke
George Gibbs

British Dictionary definitions for sinewy

sinewy

adjective

consisting of or resembling a tendon or tendons
muscular; brawny
(esp of language, style, etc) vigorous; forceful
(of meat, etc) tough; stringy

Derived Formssinewiness, noun

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

Word Origin and History for sinewy

adj.

late 14c., "made of sinews," from sinew + -y (2). As "tough, stringy" from 1570s.