Meanings
sturdy1
comparative sturdier · superlative sturdiest
- Of firm build; stiff; stout; strong.
a sturdy oak tree
1 more example
He was not of any delicate contexture; his limbs rather sturdy then dainty.
1657, Henry Wotton, Characters of some Kings of England - Solid in structure or person.
The dog was sturdy and could work all day without getting tired.
2 more examples
It was a sturdy building, able to withstand strong winds and cold weather.
Diana’s most recent romantic adventure at that time was with the sturdy hunk Will Carling, captain of the England rugby team, whom she had met in 1995 working out at the Chelsea Harbor Club gym.
April 5 2022, Tina Brown, “How Princess Diana’s Dance With the Media Impacted William and Harry”, in Vanity Fair - obsoleteFoolishly obstinate or resolute; stubborn.
This must be done, and I would fain see / Mortal so sturdy as to gainsay.
1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678, →OCLC; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLC, page 21 more example
[A] ſturdy, hardned Sinner ſhall advance to the utmoſt pitch of Impiety with leſs difficulty, leſs reluctance of Mind, than perhaps he took the firſt ſteps in Wickedneſs, whilſt his Conſcience was yet Vigilant and Tender.
1705 November 7 (date delivered; Gregorian calendar), Francis Atterbury, “A Standing Revelation, the Best Means of Conviction. A Sermon Preach’d before Her Majesty, at St. James’s Chapel, on Sunday, October 28. 1705, being the Festival of St. Simon and St. Jude.”, in Fourteen Sermons Preach’d on Several Occasions. […], London: […] E. P. [Edmund Parker?] for Jonah Bowyer, […], published 1708, →OCLC, page 339 - Resolute, in a good sense; or firm, unyielding quality.
a man of sturdy piety or patriotism
Sturdy2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA disease caused by a coenurus infestation in the brain of an animal, especially a sheep or canid; coenurosis.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivehaving rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
adjectivenot making concessions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
sturdy · adjective, noun
- Vulgar Latin*exturdire
- Old Frenchestourdi“dazed”
- Middle Englishsturdy
- Englishsturdy
From Middle English sturdy, stourdy, stordy (“bold, valiant, strong, stern, fierce, rebellious”) (perhaps influenced by Middle English sture, stoure, stor (“strong, robust, harsh, stern, violent, fierce, sturdy”); see English stour), from Old French estourdi (“dazed”), form of estourdir, originally “to daze, to make tipsy (almost drunk)” (Modern French étourdir (“to daze, to make tipsy”)), from Vulgar Latin *exturdire. Latin etymology is unclear – presumably it is ex- + turdus (“thrush (bird)”), but how this should mean “daze” is unclear. A speculative theory is that thrushes eat leftover winery grapes and thus became drunk, but this meets with objections. Disease in cows and sheep is by extension of sense of “daze”, while sense of “strongly built” is of late 14th century, and relationship to earlier sense is less clear, perhaps from sense of a firm strike (causing a daze) or a strong, violent person.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Vulgar Latin
Full word history & related roots →Sturdy · proper noun
- Middle Englishstourdy“bold, valiant, reckless”
- EnglishSturdy
A nickname from Middle English stourdy (“bold, valiant, reckless”).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian здрав, силен
- здрав (zdrav)of firm build
- силен (silen)of firm build
- въртоглавие (vărtoglavie)disease in sheep and cattle
Catalan robust
- robustof firm build
Chinese Mandarin 堅固 /坚固, 結實 /结实
- 堅固 /坚固 (jiāngù)of firm build
- 結實 /结实 (jiēshi)of firm build
- 結實 /结实 (jiēshi)solid in structure or person
- 強壯 /强壮 (qiángzhuàng)solid in structure or person
Czech robustní, masivní
- robustníof firm build
- masivníof firm build
- statnýof firm build
- bytelnýof firm build
- pevnýof firm build
- robustnísolid in structure or person
- statnýsolid in structure or person
- solidnísolid in structure or person
- pevnýsolid in structure or person
- pevnýstubborn
Dutch solide, stevig
- solideof firm build
- stevigof firm build
- robuustof firm build
- stoersolid in structure or person
- potigsolid in structure or person
Finnish vanttera, jykevä
- vantteraof firm build
- jykeväof firm build
- roimaof firm build
- rotevaof firm build
- tanakkaof firm build
- tukevaof firm build
- vankkaof firm build
- jykeväsolid in structure or person
- tukevasolid in structure or person
- vankkasolid in structure or person
French solide, costaud
- solideof firm build
- costaudsolid in structure or person
- robustesolid in structure or person
- solidesolid in structure or person
German robust, stabil
- robustof firm build
- stabilsolid in structure or person
- sturstubborn
- verstocktstubborn
Hungarian robusztus
- robusztusof firm build
Irish cruadhéanta
- cruadhéantaof firm build
Italian solido, solida
- solidoof firm build
- solidaof firm build
- robustoof firm build
- querciaof firm build
- robustosolid in structure or person
- robustasolid in structure or person
Japanese 頑丈な, 丈夫な
- 頑丈な (ganjō na)of firm build
- 丈夫な (jōbu na)of firm build
Korean 튼튼하다
- 튼튼하다 (teunteunhada)of firm build
Latvian stingrs, stiprs
- stingrsof firm build
- stiprsof firm build
- stingrssolid in structure or person
Lithuanian tvirtas, tvirtas
- tvirtasof firm build
- tvirtassolid in structure or person
Māori pakari, tōtōpū
- pakariof firm build
- tōtōpūof firm build
- pūngerungerusolid in structure or person
- tōtōpūsolid in structure or person
Persian تنومند
- تنومند (tanumand)solid in structure or person
Polish mocny, solidny
- mocnyof firm build
- solidnyof firm build
- silnyof firm build
- mocnysolid in structure or person
- solidnysolid in structure or person
- silnysolid in structure or person
- niezachwianysolid in structure or person
Portuguese firme, robusto
- firmeof firm build
- robustosolid in structure or person
Russian кре́пкий, дю́жий
- кре́пкий (krépkij)of firm build
- дю́жий (djúžij)of firm build
- здоро́вый (zdoróvyj)of firm build
- си́льный (sílʹnyj)of firm build
- соли́дный (solídnyj)solid in structure or person
- мо́щный (móščnyj)solid in structure or person
Scottish Gaelic tapaidh, brogach
- tapaidhof firm build
- brogachof firm build
- tapaidhsolid in structure or person
- brogachsolid in structure or person
Spanish recio, sólido
- recioof firm build
- sólidoof firm build
- robustoof firm build
- fuerteof firm build
- reciosolid in structure or person
- sólidosolid in structure or person
Swedish robust, stabil
- robustof firm build
- stabilof firm build
- rejälof firm build
- robustsolid in structure or person
- solidsolid in structure or person
- motståndskraftigsolid in structure or person
- stabilsolid in structure or person
Thai กำยำ, กำยำ
- กำยำ (gam-yam)of firm build
- กำยำ (gam-yam)solid in structure or person
- ล่ำสัน (lâm-sǎn)solid in structure or person
Turkish sağlam, sağlam
- sağlamof firm build
- sağlamsolid in structure or person
Vietnamese kết thật
- kết thậtof firm build
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with sturdy
All rhymes →Cite this entry
sturdy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sturdy
“sturdy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sturdy. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sturdy,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sturdy.
Source: sturdy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.