sturdy
UK/ˈstɜːdi//ˈstɜrdi/
sturdy adjective: of firm build; stiff; stout; strong.
Adjective
sturdy (comparative sturdier, superlative sturdiest)
- Of firm build; stiff; stout; strong.
- a sturdy oak tree
- 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.
- It was a sturdy building, able to withstand strong winds and cold weather.
- The dog was sturdy and could work all day without getting tired.
- Foolishly 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...
- [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...
- Resolute, in a good sense; or firm, unyielding quality.
- a man of sturdy piety or patriotism
Noun
sturdy (uncountable)
- A disease caused by a coenurus infestation in the brain of an animal, especially a sheep or canid; coenurosis.
Proper noun capitalized: Sturdy
Sturdy (plural Sturdys)
- A surname from Middle English.
sturdy meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
sturdy in Hindi
- sturdy, strong
- तगड़ा tagṛā
sturdy in Tamil
- கட்டுறுதி வாய்ந்த, திண்ணிய, ஆட்டுமூளையைத் தாக்கும் ஒட்டுண்ணி நோய்
sturdy in Urdu
- sturdy, strong
- تگڑا tagṛā
sturdy in Bengali
- মজবুত, শক্ত, বলিষ্ঠ
More languagesFewer languages
- sturdy in Malayalam
- ദൃഢമായത്, ബലവത്തായത്
- sturdy in Kannada
- ಬಲಿಷ್ಠ, ಶಕ್ತಿಯುಕ್ತವಾದ, ಗಟ್ಟಿಮುಟ್ಟಾದ, ಕಟ್ಟುಮಸ್ತಾದ
- sturdy in Persian
- تنومند tanumand
- sturdy in Thai
- กำยำ gam-yam, ล่ำสัน lâm-sǎn
- sturdy in Vietnamese
- kết thật
Examples of sturdy in a sentence
- She installed a sturdy catch to keep her cabinets closed tight.
- To build a sturdy fence, you have to ram the posts deep into the ground.
- Don't be afraid to kick it around a little. It is sturdy.
Synonyms of sturdy
Forms of sturdy
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | sturdier |
| superlative | sturdiest |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Sturdys |
Origin of sturdy
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.
A nickname from Middle English stourdy (“bold, valiant, reckless”).
Words formed from sturdy
Phrases with sturdy
Words that rhyme with sturdy
Questions about sturdy
- What does sturdy mean?
- Sturdy means of firm build; stiff; stout; strong.
- What is sturdy in Hindi?
- Sturdy in Hindi is तगड़ा (tagṛā). See Sturdy meaning in Hindi.
- What part of speech is sturdy?
- Sturdy can be an adjective, a noun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce sturdy?
- Sturdy is pronounced /ˈstɜːdi/ (UK).
Words near sturdy in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: sturdy (page history and authors); Sturdy (page history and authors); तगड़ा (Hindi) (page history and authors); sturdy (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); تگڑا (Urdu) (page history and authors); sturdy (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); sturdy (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); sturdy (Kannada Wiktionary) (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.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-sturdy.ogg.
Cite this entry: “sturdy.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sturdy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.