Meanings
nounbodybuilding (uncountable)
alternative body-building
- uncountableA sport in which the aesthetics of muscular development is the basis for competition.
Like those activities, bodybuilding is an obsession, a living (for a few), and a way of life for the people involved in it—a subculture, in a word, with its own values, aesthetics and vocabulary.
1974, Charles Gaines, George Butler, Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding, page 7 - dateduncountableWork done to construct or repair the body of an automobile.
In my day, if you filled out your shirt, people assumed you played football or wrestled. The term bodybuilding had more to do with cars than lifting weights.
2006 — Larry Scott (interview), Iron Man 65(5): 258
Synonyms & antonyms
nounexercise that builds muscles through tension
Similar
anaerobic exercisemuscle buildingmusclebuilding
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*bʰewdʰ-der.?
- Proto-Germanic*budagą
- Proto-West Germanic*bodag
- Old Englishbodiġ
- Middle Englishbodi
- Englishbody
- Englishbuilding
- Englishbodybuilding
Translations
Arabic كَمَال أَجْسَام
- كَمَال أَجْسَام (kamāl ʔajsām)sport of aesthetically muscle development
Bulgarian физи́ческа култу́ра, фи́зкулту́ра
- физи́ческа култу́ра (fizíčeska kultúra)sport of aesthetically muscle development
- фи́зкулту́ра (fízkultúra)sport of aesthetically muscle development
- физи́ческо възпита́ние (fizíčesko văzpitánie)sport of aesthetically muscle development
Catalan culturisme
- culturismesport of aesthetically muscle development
Chinese Mandarin 健美運動 /健美运动
- 健美運動 /健美运动 (jiànměi yùndòng)sport of aesthetically muscle development
Czech kulturistika
- kulturistikasport of aesthetically muscle development
Danish bodybuilding
- bodybuildingsport of aesthetically muscle development
Dutch bodybuilding
- bodybuildingsport of aesthetically muscle development
Esperanto korpokulturado
- korpokulturadosport of aesthetically muscle development
Finnish kehonrakennus, korityö
- kehonrakennussport of aesthetically muscle development
- korityöwork done to construct or repair the body of an automobile
French culturisme, bodybuilding
- culturismesport of aesthetically muscle development
- bodybuildingsport of aesthetically muscle development
- musculationsport of aesthetically muscle development
- carrosseriework done to construct or repair the body of an automobile
German Bodybuilding
- Bodybuildingsport of aesthetically muscle development
Greek σωματοδόμηση
- σωματοδόμηση (somatodómisi)sport of aesthetically muscle development
Hebrew פיתוח גוף
- פיתוח גוף (pitúakh guf)sport of aesthetically muscle development
Hungarian testépítés
- testépítéssport of aesthetically muscle development
Icelandic vaxtarrækt
- vaxtarræktsport of aesthetically muscle development
Indonesian binaraga
- binaragasport of aesthetically muscle development
Irish corpfhorbairt
- corpfhorbairtsport of aesthetically muscle development
Italian culturismo, bodybuilding
- culturismosport of aesthetically muscle development
- bodybuildingsport of aesthetically muscle development
Japanese ボディビルディング, ボディビル
- ボディビルディング (bodibirudingu)sport of aesthetically muscle development
- ボディビル (bodibiru)sport of aesthetically muscle development
Korean 보디빌딩
- 보디빌딩 (bodibilding)sport of aesthetically muscle development
Malay bina badan
- bina badansport of aesthetically muscle development
Polish kulturystyka, body building
- kulturystykasport of aesthetically muscle development
- body buildingsport of aesthetically muscle development
Portuguese fisiculturismo, culturismo
- fisiculturismosport of aesthetically muscle development
- culturismosport of aesthetically muscle development
- fisioculturismosport of aesthetically muscle development
- musculaçãosport of aesthetically muscle development
Romanian culturism
- culturismsport of aesthetically muscle development
Russian культури́зм, бодиби́лдинг
- культури́зм (kulʹturízm)sport of aesthetically muscle development
- бодиби́лдинг (bodibílding)sport of aesthetically muscle development
Slovak kulturistika
- kulturistikasport of aesthetically muscle development
Spanish fisicoculturismo, culturismo
- fisicoculturismosport of aesthetically muscle development
- culturismosport of aesthetically muscle development
- musculaciónsport of aesthetically muscle development
- carroceríawork done to construct or repair the body of an automobile
Swedish bodybuilding
- bodybuildingsport of aesthetically muscle development
Turkish vücut geliştirme
- vücut geliştirmesport of aesthetically muscle development
Vietnamese tập thể hình, tập tạ
- tập thể hìnhsport of aesthetically muscle development
- tập tạsport of aesthetically muscle development
Welsh corfflunio
- corffluniosport of aesthetically muscle development
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with bodybuilding
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
bodybuilding. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bodybuilding
MLA
“bodybuilding.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bodybuilding. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bodybuilding,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bodybuilding.
Source: bodybuilding on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.