Of or pertaining to a muscle, or to a system of muscles; consisting of, or constituting, a muscle or muscles; as, muscular fiber. [1913 Webster]
"Great muscular strength, accompanied by much awkwardness." [1913 Webster]
Performed by, or dependent on, a muscle or the muscles. Arbuthnot. [1913 Webster]
Well furnished with muscles; having well-developed muscles; brawny; hence, strong; powerful; vigorous; as, a muscular body or arm. [1913 Webster]

Muscular 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.

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

muscular, adj.
1 of or affecting the muscles.
2 having well-developed muscles.

Idiom

muscular Christianity a Christian life of cheerful physical activity as described in the writings of Charles Kingsley. muscular dystrophy see DYSTROPHY. muscular rheumatism = MYALGIA. muscular stomach see STOMACH.

Derivative

muscularity n. muscularly adv.

Etymology

earlier musculous (as MUSCLE)

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THESAURUS

muscular

Herculean, able-bodied, athletic, beefy, brawny, broad-shouldered, burly, elastic, fibrous, flexible, husky, mighty, muscle-bound, powerful, resilient, robust, ropy, rugged, sinewy, springy, stalwart, stout, strapping, stringy, strong, sturdy, supple, thewy, thickset, well-built, well-knit, well-set, well-set-up, wiry

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ROGET THESAURUS

muscular

Strength

N strength, power, energy, vigor, force, main force, physical force, brute force, spring, elasticity, tone, tension, tonicity, stoutness, lustihood, stamina, nerve, muscle, sinew, thews and sinews, physique, pith, pithiness, virtility, vitality, athletics, athleticism, gymnastics, feats of strength, adamant, steel, iron, oak, heart of oak, iron grip, grit, bone, athlete, gymnast, acrobat, superman, Atlas, Hercules, Antaeus, Samson, Cyclops, Goliath, tower of strength, giant refreshed, strengthening, invigoration, refreshment, refocillation, dynamics, statics, strong, mighty, vigorous, forcible, hard, adamantine, stout, robust, sturdy, hardy, powerful, potent, puissant, valid, resistless, irresistible, invincible, proof against, impregnable, unconquerable, indomitable, dominating, inextinguishable, unquenchable, incontestable, more than a match for, overpowering, overwhelming, all powerful, all sufficient, sovereign, able-bodied, athletic, Herculean, Cyclopean, Atlantean, muscular, brawny, wiry, well-knit, broad-shouldered, sinewy, strapping, stalwart, gigantic, manly, man-like, manful, masculine, male, virile, unweakened, unallayed, unwithered, unshaken, unworn, unexhausted, in full force, in full swing, in the plenitude of power, stubborn, thick-ribbed, made of iron, deep-rooted, strong as a lion, strong as a horse, strong as an ox, strong as brandy, sound as a roach, in fine feather, in high feather, built like a brick shithouse, like a giant refreshed, strongly, by force, by main force, our withers are unwrung, Blut und Eisen, coelitus mihi vires, du fort au diable, en habiles gens, ex vi termini, flecti non frangi, he that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves an, inflexible in faith invincible in arms.

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