What does "sturdy" mean?
A disease caused by a coenurus infestation in the brain of an animal, especially a sheep or canid; coenurosis.
Sturdy
/ˈstɜːdi/ adj, name, noun
adj, name, noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A disease caused by a coenurus infestation in the brain of an animal, especially a sheep or canid; coenurosis.
- Grammar: sturdy is listed as adj, name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: able-bodied, adamantine, armored earth wire, athletic.
- Useful contrasts: rickety, weak, breakable.
- Usage evidence: This is a very sturdy chair to sit in.
How to use "sturdy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sturdy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sturdy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sturdy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sturdy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sturdy" is acting as adj, name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "able-bodied" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sturdy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A disease caused by a coenurus infestation in the brain of an animal, especially a sheep or canid; coenurosis. uncountable
Adjective
- 1 Of firm build; stiff; stout; strong.
"a sturdy oak tree"
- 2 Solid in structure or person.
"It was a sturdy building, able to withstand strong winds and cold weather."
- 3 Foolishly obstinate or resolute; stubborn. obsolete
"This must be done, and I would fain see / Mortal so sturdy as to gainsay."
- 4 Resolute, in a good sense; or firm, unyielding quality.
"a man of sturdy piety or patriotism"
Adjective
- 1 substantially made or constructed wordnet
- 2 not making concessions wordnet
- 3 having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from Middle English.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"This is a very sturdy chair to sit in."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sturdy"?
Common synonyms include: able-bodied, adamantine, armored earth wire, athletic, beefy, best endurance.
How do you use "sturdy" in a sentence?
This is a very sturdy chair to sit in.
How do you pronounce "sturdy"?
Pronounced /ˈstɜːdi/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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.
Etymology 2
A nickname from Middle English stourdy (“bold, valiant, reckless”).