muscular

The word “muscular” means having well-developed, visible muscles. In plain terms, physically strong-looking (or, figuratively, forceful and assertive).

“Muscular” is pronounced MUHS-kyuul-uh (/ˈmʌs.kjə.lɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “muscular” used in a sentence: “Years of training gave him a muscular build.”

“Muscular” is an adjective.

The word “muscular” comes from French. From muscle plus the adjective suffix -ar, matching the French musculaire.

“Muscular” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the C1 level.

“Muscular” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: having well-developed, visible muscles.

Muscular specifically describes having well-developed, visible muscles, referring to physical appearance and build, while strong describes the capacity to exert force and can apply even to someone without a visibly muscular physique. A person can be strong without looking muscular, and vice versa, though the two traits often go together.

Used figuratively, muscular describes an approach or style that is forceful, strong, or assertive, such as "a muscular foreign policy" or "muscular prose." This sense extends the physical idea of visible strength to describe forcefulness in action or expression.

No, muscular is also used in a medical sense relating to muscles generally, as in "muscular tissue" or "muscular disorders," and figuratively to describe forceful styles or approaches, as in "a muscular argument." It is not limited to describing physical build.