Word.ws English Dictionary

built different

Syllables: built dif·fer·entUK/bɪlt ˈdɪfəɹ(ə)nt//bɪlt ˈdɪfəɹənt/

built different adjective: able to do things which others cannot; extremely talented or unusual.

Adjective

built different (not comparable)

  1. (idiomatic, slang) Able to do things which others cannot; extremely talented or unusual.
    • I learnt that true rock climbers are built different. Their bodies will do things mere humans can't.1999, Peter Inchbald, “Plato’s Garden: Oxford 1937–39”, in Jack of All Trades and His Family, [Morrisville, N.C.]: Lulu Press, published 2013, →ISBN, book II (Speaking from Memory), page 101
    • Some people are built different, and kudos to them who are like that, but I'm built different. I always say I'm the most competitive person I know, and look at my wife, she rolling her eyes probably.2017 July 14, Alysha Tsuji, quoting Chris Paul, “Chris Paul Quoted ‘Talladega Nights’ while Talking about Rockets’ Goal of Winning a Title”, in For the Win, USA Today, archived from the original on...
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see built, different.

Examples of built different in a sentence

  • Not many coaches in the nation have the ability to turn overlooked recruits into All-Americans, but [Mark] Dantonio is built different.2018 August 30, Connor Muldowney, “Michigan State Football: 25 Best Players of the Mark Dantonio Era”, in Spartan Avenue, FanSided...
  • We fully know our bodies and what we are risking especially at the professional level. […] He's [Kevin Durant's] built different than the ppl^([sic – meaning people]) saying he shouldn't have played.2019 June 12, Des Bieler, quoting Richard Sherman, “Charles Barkley blames the Warriors for Kevin Durant’s injury”, in The Washington Post...
  • "You built different if you work there."2022 August 16, Braden Bjella, “‘TF am I Stretching at Work for?’: Amazon Warehouse Worker Says Workers Stretch as Group before Shift...
  • Better Call Saul, however, is built different.2022 August 16, Bradley Russell, “Better Call Saul Viewers React to ‘Perfect’ Finale: ‘An Absolute Masterpiece’”, in GamesRadar+, archived...

Origin of built different

The term was popularized by a July 2020 trend on the video-sharing website TikTok, in which users jokingly claimed to be able to accomplish various improbable tasks as a result of being “built different”.

Questions about built different

What does built different mean?
Built different means able to do things which others cannot; extremely talented or unusual.
How do you use built different in a sentence?
Not many coaches in the nation have the ability to turn overlooked recruits into All-Americans, but [Mark] Dantonio is built different.
What part of speech is built different?
Built different is an adjective.
How do you pronounce built different?
Built different is pronounced /bɪlt ˈdɪfəɹ(ə)nt/ (UK).

Words near built different in the dictionary

  1. built a case
  2. built air castles
  3. built bridges
  4. built castles in the air
  5. built character
  6. built different
  7. built down
  8. built environment
  9. built environments
  10. built in
  11. built into

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: built different (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-built different.wav.

Cite this entry: “built different.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/built_different. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.