big-boned

American  

[big-bohnd] / ˈbɪgˈboʊnd /

adjective

1. having a bone structure that is massive in contrast with the surrounding flesh.

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Etymology

Origin of big-boned

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

At just over a foot tall, the “Maiden of Vulci” is an outlier in “Myth and Marble,” which is otherwise filled with big-boned, room-filling sculptures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025

These big-boned people pursued a semi-nomadic life on the steppes, tamed animals, kept domestic cattle and moved over large areas using horses and carts.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2024

Later in their careers, as Ms. Ahrens and Mr. Flaherty took on big-boned projects like “Ragtime” and “Anastasia,” they produced big-boned songs that sometimes struck me as turgid.

From New York Times • Dec. 3, 2017

Cassie, who also had “a Georgia Jagger gap between her front teeth,” was adventurous, self-assured and bold, whereas Julia was the more responsible of the two, and “as big-boned as Cassie was small.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 2017

When people first saw me, they thought 1 looked like my father, English-Irish, big-boned and delicate at the same time.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan