muscular

English

Etymology

Late 17th century from musculous +‎ -ar.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌ.skjʊl.ə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌ.skjəl.ɚ/
• Rhymes: -ʌskjʊlə(ɹ)

Adjective

muscular (comparative more muscular, superlative most muscular)

1. (relational) Of, relating to, or connected with muscles.
   • 1912 February–July, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Under the Moons of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as “The Escape of the Dead”, in A Princess of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., 1917 October, →OCLC, page 18:

     It was an effort of the mind, of the will, of the nerves; not muscular, for I could not move even so much as my little finger, but none the less mighty for all that.

2. Brawny, thewy, having strength.

   Synonyms: athletic, beefy, brawny, husky, lusty, muscled, muscly, powerful, strapping, strong

   • 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave Two. The First of the Three Spirits.”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, , →OCLC, page 43:

     It was a strange figure—like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man, [...] The arms were very long and muscular; the hands the same, as if its hold were of uncommon strength.

3. Having large, well-developed muscles.

   Synonyms: beefy, brawny, buff, husky, musclebound, muscled, muscly, powerfully built, swole, well-built

4. (figurative) Robust, strong.

   Synonym: vigorous

   • 2014 July 9, Samanth Subramanian, “India after English?”, in The New York Review of Books‎, archived from the original on 10 September 2019:

     Future prime ministers may struggle to replicate the sort of muscular countrywide support that [Narendra] Modi was able to earn.

5. Full-bodied

   muscular wine

Derived terms

Related terms

• musculature
• musculo-

Translations

See also

• myo-

References

• “muscular”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “muscular”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin or New Latin mūsculāris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)
• Rhymes: -aɾ

Adjective

muscular m or f (masculine and feminine plural musculars)

1. (relational) muscle; muscular

Related terms

• múscul

Further reading

• “muscular” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “muscular”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “muscular” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “muscular” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Galician

Adjective

muscular m or f (plural musculares)

1. muscular (of, relating to, or connected with muscles)

Related terms

• músculo

Further reading

• “muscular” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

Interlingua

Adjective

muscular (not comparable)

1. muscular

Related terms

• musculo

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin and New Latin mūsculāris.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: mus‧cu‧lar

Adjective

muscular m or f (plural musculares)

1. muscular (of or relating to muscles)

Related terms

• músculo

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French musculaire.

Adjective

muscular m or n (feminine singular musculară, masculine plural musculari, feminine and neuter plural musculare)

1. muscular

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin or New Latin mūsculāris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /muskuˈlaɾ/
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: mus‧cu‧lar

Adjective

muscular m or f (masculine and feminine plural musculares)

1. muscular (of, relating to, or connected with muscles)

Derived terms

Related terms

Verb

muscular (first-person singular present musculo, first-person singular preterite musculé, past participle musculado)

1. (intransitive) to build muscle mass by exercising

Conjugation

Further reading

• “muscular”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014