sinewy

adjective

sin·​ewy ˈsin-yə-wē How to pronounce sinewy (audio)
 also  ˈsi-nə-
1
: full of sinews: such as
a
: tough, stringy
sinewy meat
b
: strong
sinewy arms
2
: marked by the strength of sinews
a demanding sinewy intelligenceHelen Dudar

Examples of sinewy in a Sentence

The lion has a sinewy body. a sinewy piece of meat
Recent Examples on the Web According to Van Lierde’s claim, detailed during a 1980 interview with the British TV show Mysterious World, the creature reared its sinewy body nearly ten feet into the air as the helicopter swooped over for another close pass. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2024 Illuminated from behind by the Stones’ giant lips logo, the sinewy soundalike prances about the king-sized, covered stage in a smoke-machine cloud as his six bandmates tear through a respectably rowdy Jumpin’ Jack Flash. Greg Carannante, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2024 His emissary is the vicious — wait for it — Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), a sinewy sadist sporting Bolshevik-style outerwear over Nazi-chic black and white, who favors bashing his victims’ skulls in with a staff made from the bone of some ancient creature. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Dec. 2023 Wiry and rail thin, Swanton looks like an athlete, his body a coil of sinewy intensity that seems to have dispensed with all excess, including the hair on his head. Siddhartha Mukherjee, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023 The sinewy, wired Abbott embodies Danny’s necessary thuggishness. Peter Marks, Washington Post, 14 Nov. 2023 The sinewy 6-foot-3, 175-pound Hasten has played four varsity sports — football, basketball, track and field, plus volleyball. Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Nov. 2023 Each item—which ranges from scones to pendants to floor lamps—features different shapes and sizes, yet they’re cohesively connected with sinewy, spindly arms. Elise Taylor, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2023 But Kane’s suave moves at the time conflicted with hip-hop’s more sinewy direction. Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 6 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sinewy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sinewy was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near sinewy

Cite this Entry

“Sinewy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sinewy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sinewy

adjective
sin·​ewy ˈsin-yə-wē How to pronounce sinewy (audio)
 also  ˈsin-ə-
1
: full of sinews : stringy
sinewy meat
2
: strong sense 1
sinewy arms

More from Merriam-Webster on sinewy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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