Meaning & use
broad-shouldered
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Having wide shoulders; often suggesting strength or a solid build.
Grammar: Describes a person's build and is not usually used with 'more' or 'most'.
Patterns
- a broad-shouldered man
- broad-shouldered and tall
He was tall and broad-shouldered, so he filled the doorway.
The jacket looked good on her broad-shouldered frame.
adjectivenot comparable
Having a wide, sturdy shape at the top, as some animals or objects do.
Grammar: Used for animals or things with a wide upper part, not for people's bodies.
Patterns
- a broad-shouldered dog
- broad-shouldered mountains
The broad-shouldered bulldog stood guard by the gate.
From the valley we could see the broad-shouldered hills above us.
Common combinations
- tall and broad-shouldered
- Her brother is tall and broad-shouldered, unlike the rest of the family.
- a broad-shouldered build
- He has a broad-shouldered build that suits heavy work.
- broad-shouldered figure
- A broad-shouldered figure appeared at the end of the street.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stocky
- Describes someone short and solid rather than simply wide across the shoulders.
- burly
- Suggests a large, strong body, often with more emphasis on muscle than on shoulder width.
- well-built
- A general compliment about a strong body; it does not mention shoulders specifically.
Opposites
Word family
- broad adjective
- Wide from side to side.
- shoulder noun
- The part of the body where the arm joins the neck.
- shouldered adjective
- Used in compounds to describe a type of shoulder, as in 'round-shouldered'.
Commonly confused: broad-shouldered or broad-minded?
broad-shouldered vs broad-minded
This means willing to accept other people's ideas, not having wide shoulders.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'broad-shouldered' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Broad-shouldered' describes a person's wide shoulders, so sentence 1 fits. Sentence 2 confuses it with 'broad-minded'; sentence 3 wrongly uses it for a road; sentence 4 invents a verb use that does not exist.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “broad-shouldered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.