Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Muscular
1.
Of or pertaining to a muscle, or to a system of muscles; consisting of, or constituting, a muscle or muscles;
as,
. muscular
fiberGreat
muscular
strength, accompanied by much awkwardness. Macaulay.
2.
Performed by, or dependent on, a muscle or the muscles.
“The muscular motion.” Arbuthnot.
3.
Well furnished with muscles; having well-developed muscles; brawny; hence, strong; powerful; vigorous;
as, a
. muscular
body or armMuscular Christian
, one who believes in a part of religious duty to maintain a healthful and vigorous physical state.
T. Hughes.
– Muscular Christianity
. (a)
The practice and opinion of those Christians who believe that it is a part of religious duty to maintain a vigorous condition of the body, and who therefore approve of athletic sports and exercises as conductive to good health, good morals, and right feelings in religious matters.
T. Hughes.
(b)
An active, robust, and cheerful Christian life, as opposed to a meditative and gloomy one.
C. Kingsley.
– Muscular excitability
(Physiol.)
, that property in virtue of which a muscle shortens, when it is stimulated; irritability; contractility.
– Muscular sense
(Physiol.)
, muscular sensibility; the sense by which we obtain knowledge of the condition of our muscles and to what extent they are contracted, also of the position of the various parts of our bodies and the resistance offering by external objects.
Webster 1828 Edition
Muscular
MUS'CULAR
,Adj.
1.
Performed by a muscle; as muscular motion.2.
Strong; brawny; vigorous; as a muscular body or frame.Definition 2024
muscular
muscular
English
Adjective
muscular (comparative more muscular, superlative most muscular)
- Of, relating to, or connected with muscles.
- 1912, Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars, chapter 2
- 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.
- 1912, Edgar Rice Burroughs, A Princess of Mars, chapter 2
- Brawny, thewy, having strength.
- 1843, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Stave Two
- The arms were very long and muscular; the hands the same, as if its hold were of uncommon strength.
- 1843, Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Stave Two
- Having large, well-developed muscles.
- (figuratively) Strong, robust.
- 2014 June 9, Samanth Subramanian, "India After English?" (blog post), nybooks.com:
- Future prime ministers may struggle to replicate the sort of muscular countrywide support that Modi was able to earn.
- 2014 June 9, Samanth Subramanian, "India After English?" (blog post), nybooks.com:
Synonyms
- (of or relating to muscles): myo-
- (having strength): athletic, beefy, brawny, husky, lusty, muscled, muscly, powerful, strapping, strong
- (having well-developed muscles): beefy, brawny, heavily muscled, husky, musclebound, muscled, muscly, powerfully built, well-built
Related terms
Derived terms
Translations
of or relating to muscles
|
having strength
|
having large, well-developed muscles
|
Portuguese
Etymology
From Latin mūsculāris.
Pronunciation
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /muʃ.ku.ˈlaɾ/
- Hyphenation: mus‧cu‧lar
Adjective
muscular m, f (plural musculares, comparable)
- muscular (of or relating to muscles)
Spanish
Etymology
From Latin mūsculāris.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /mus.kuˈlaɾ/
Adjective
muscular m, f (plural musculares)