Strong — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Strong (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. having muscles capable of exerting great physical force

   "I need some strong people to help me move furniture"

   similar: brawny, muscular, rugged, sinewy, stalwart, stout
   related: forceful, forcible, mighty, potent, powerful, puissant, able-bodied, athletic, fit, trim, beefy, burly, husky, strapping, masculine, virile, hard, inured, strengthened, sturdy, tough, toughened, energetic, energized, invigorated, lusty, red-blooded, robust, vigorous, vitalized, hale, healthy, hearty, sound
   opposite: delicate, feeble, frail, weak, weakling, wimpy
   near: disabled, incapacitated, paralyzed, impotent, powerless, puny, slight, small, unathletic, unfit, unhealthy

2. having great power or influence

   "a time when the country needs a strong leader"

   similar: heavy, heavy-duty, important, influential, mighty, potent, powerful, puissant, significant
   related: high-level, senior, top, able, capable, competent, effective, efficient, authoritarian, autocratic, despotic, dictatorial, magisterial, tyrannical, celebrated, distinguished, dominant, eminent, famed, famous, great, illustrious, noble, notable, noteworthy, notorious, outstanding, preeminent, prestigious, prominent, renowned, dynamic, energetic, forceful, high-powered, robust, vigorous
   opposite: helpless, impotent, insignificant, little, powerless, unimportant, weak
   near: feeble, flimsy, frail, infirm, anonymous, nameless, obscure, uncelebrated, unknown, incapable, incompetent, ineffective, inept, inexpert, unfit, unqualified, unskilled, unskillful

3. able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure

   "the doctor soon declared her strong enough to go home from the hospital"

   similar: cast-iron, hard, hard-bitten, hardened, hardy, inured, rugged, stout, sturdy, tough, toughened, vigorous
   related: flinty, leathery, resilient, stalwart, durable, enduring, everlasting, immortal, imperishable, lasting, permanent, stable, staunch, staying, tenacious, unyielding, flourishing, prospering, thriving, able-bodied, brawny, muscular, fit, fortified, hale, healthy, husky, lusty, red-blooded, robust, sound, strapping, virile, annealed, seasoned, tempered
   opposite: delicate, nonhardy, soft, tender, weak
   near: emasculated, enervated, enfeebled, exhausted, run-down, sapped, wasted, weakened, worn, worn-out, crippled, debilitated, diseased, incapacitated, infirm, unsound, fragile, frail, puny, resistless, sensitive, susceptible, unresistant, vulnerable, yielding, mortal, perishable, temporary, transient

4. having a powerfully stimulating odor or flavor

   "the garlic in the sauce is almost too strong"

   "that's mighty strong perfume you're wearing"

   similar: nippy, pungent, sharp, tangy
   related: acid, acidic, acrid, bitter, harsh, gingery, hot, peppery, piquant, spicy, tart, zesty, zingy, putrid, rancid, rank, skunky, acute, keen, animating, energizing, exciting, galvanizing, invigorating, provocative, appetizing, delectable, delicious, palatable, toothsome, flavorful, savory, tasty, aromatic, redolent
   opposite: bland, mild, smooth
   near: aged, mellow, ripe, gentle, soft, flat, flavorless, insipid, savorless, tasteless, zestless, dilute, thin, watery, weak

5. having an abundance of some characteristic quality (as flavor)

   "strong coffee"

   similar: big, concentrated, full, full-bodied, heady, lusty, muscular, plush, potent, rich, robust
   related: heavy, straight, undiluted, unmixed, high-octane, high-test, enriched, fortified
   opposite: delicate, light, mild, thin, thinned, weak, weakened
   near: dilute, diluted, watered-down, watery

6. having an unpleasant smell

   "the dog's strong breath nearly bowled me over"

   similar: fetid, foul, frowsty (chiefly British), frowsy, funky, fusty, malodorous, musty, noisome, rank, reeking, reeky, ripe, smelly, stenchy, stinking, stinky
   related: putrid, rancid, skunky, stale, bad, disgusting, offensive, repulsive, revolting, vile, decayed, decaying, decomposed, decomposing, rotted, rotten, rotting, spoiled, spoiling, dirty, filthy, nasty, noxious, odiferous, odoriferous, odorous
   opposite: ambrosial, aromatic, fragrant, perfumed, redolent, savory, scented, sweet
   near: flowery, fruity, spicy, woodsy

7. having the power to persuade

   "made a strong argument for starting school an hour later each day"

   similar: cogent, compelling, conclusive, convincing, decisive, effective, forceful, persuasive, satisfying, telling
   related: authoritative, definitive, sound, valid, well-founded, important, significant, weighty, material, pertinent, relevant
   opposite: inconclusive, indecisive, ineffective, uncompelling, unconvincing, unpersuasive
   near: groundless, invalid, shaky, unfounded, unsound, inconsequential, insignificant, unimportant, immaterial, irrelevant, feeble, weak

8. marked by the ability to withstand stress without structural damage or distortion

   "buildings strong enough to withstand an earthquake"

   similar: bombproof, fast, firm, sound, stable, stalwart, sturdy
   related: dependable, durable, reliable, infrangible, irrefragable, unbreakable, beefy, solid, cohesive, tough
   opposite: rickety, unsound, unstable, unsteady
   near: infirm, insecure, weak, shaky, tottering, tottery, unbalanced, wobbly, unsubstantial

9. not showing weakness or uncertainty

   "a strong belief in the value of hard work"

   similar: firm, forceful, hearty, iron, lusty, robust, solid, stout, sturdy, vigorous
   related: hard, ironclad, mighty, powerful, tough, unyielding, animated, brisk, energetic, frisky, jaunty, jazzy, lively, peppy, perky, spirited, sprightful, sprightly, springy, vital, vivacious, zippy, assured, certain, confident, sanguine, secure, sure
   opposite: uncertain, weak
   near: feeble, fragile, frail, limp, listless, spiritless, diffident, insecure, self-doubting, characterless, effete, spineless, weakened, weak-kneed, wimpy, wishy-washy