Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Physically powerful; capable of exerting great physical force.
  • adjective Marked by great physical power.
  • adjective In good or sound health; robust.
  • adjective Economically or financially sound or thriving.
  • adjective Having force of character, will, morality, or intelligence.
  • adjective Having or showing ability or achievement in a specified field.
  • adjective Capable of the effective exercise of authority.
  • adjective Capable of withstanding force or wear; solid, tough, or firm.
  • adjective Having great binding strength.
  • adjective Not easily captured or defeated.
  • adjective Not easily upset; resistant to harmful or unpleasant influences.
  • adjective Having force or rapidity of motion.
  • adjective Persuasive, effective, and cogent.
  • adjective Forceful and pointed; emphatic.
  • adjective Forthright and explicit, often offensively so.
  • adjective Extreme; drastic.
  • adjective Having force of conviction or feeling; uncompromising.
  • adjective Intense in degree or quality.
  • adjective Having an intense or offensive effect on the senses.
  • adjective Clear and loud.
  • adjective Readily noticeable; remarkable.
  • adjective Readily detected or received.
  • adjective Having a high concentration of an essential or active ingredient.
  • adjective Containing a considerable percentage of alcohol.
  • adjective Powerfully effective.
  • adjective Of or relating to a color having a high degree of saturation.
  • adjective Having a specified number of units or members.
  • adjective Marked by steady or rising prices.
  • adjective Of or relating to those verbs in Germanic languages that form their past tense by a change in stem vowel, and their past participles by a change in stem vowel and sometimes by adding the suffix -(e)n, as sing, sang, sung or tear, tore, torn.
  • adjective Of or relating to the inflection of nouns or adjectives in Germanic languages with endings that historically did not contain a suffix with an n.
  • adjective Stressed or accented in pronunciation or poetic meter. Used of a word or syllable.
  • adverb In a strong, powerful, or vigorous manner; forcefully.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Possessing, exerting, or imparting force or energy, physical or moral, in a general sense; powerful; forcible; effective; capable; able to do or to suffer.
  • Having vital force or capability; able to act effectively; endued with physical vigor; used absolutely, physically powerful; robust; muscular: as, a strong body; a strong hand or arm.
  • Having means for exerting or resisting force; provided with adequate instrumentalities; powerful in resources or in constituent parts: as, a strong king or kingdom; a strong army; a strong corporation or mercantile house.
  • Having or consisting of a large number, absolutely or relatively; numerically forcible or well provided: usually implying also some special element of strength in some or all of the units composing the number: as, a strong detachment of troops; a strong political party.
  • Of specified numerical force; having so many constituent members: applied to armies, and sometimes to other bodies of men, or to animals.
  • Exerting or capable of characteristic force; powerful in the kind or mode of action implied; specifically, forceful or efficient: as, a strong painter or actor; a strong voice; strong eyes.
  • Vigorous in exercise or operation; acting in a firm or determined manner; not feeble or vacillating: used of the mind or any of its faculties: as, a strong-minded person; a strong intellect, memory, judgment, etc.
  • Possessing moral or mental force; firm in character, knowledge, conviction, influence, or the like; not easily turned, resisted, or refuted: as, a strong candidate; a strong reasoner.
  • Marked by force or vigor of performance; done, executed, produced, or uttered energetically; effected by earnest action or effort; strenuous; stressful; urgent.
  • Marked by force of action or movement; vigorously impelled or sent forth; impetuous; violent; vehement: as, a strong wind; strong tides; strong breathing.
  • Firm in substance or texture; capable of resisting physical force; not weak; not easily broken, rent, or destroyed: said of material things.
  • Solid.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English strang.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English strong, from Old English strang, from Proto-Germanic *strangaz, from Proto-Indo-European *streng-, *strenk- (“taut, stiff, tight”). Compare Dutch, German, and Danish streng.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word strong.

Examples

  • -- There is certainly a strong likeness between the Marquis and Lord Darcey; -- _so strong_, that when I first beheld his Lordship I was quite struck with surprize.

    Barford Abbey Susannah Minific Gunning

  • "_Make him strong, O God, -- make him strong_," requested William Sewall, fervently.

    On Christmas Day In The Evening 1912

  • They say, poor suitors have strong breaths; they shall know we have _strong arms, too_.

    The Philosophy of the Plays of Shakspere Unfolded Delia Bacon 1835

  • The Flexi retractable leash advertised a “strong reliable braking system, ” which I figured I needed for my strong-willed, and strong pulling puppy (we’re working on that in training, but for now, I need something strong and reliable).

    Epinions Recent Content for Home 2008

  • Other than that, I’m talking about how many different strong flours you can get in the UK; which I’m kind of jealous of I usually pack strong flour in my suitcases whevener I visit British friends – strong flour, extra strong flour… We definitely don’t get flour labelled as ’strong flour’ here in France; may be I’ll have to wait.

    foodbeam » Mon pain quotidien – Simple white bread 2007

  • "'Yes!' returned the other; 'but I want a strong one -- _strong_, do you hear?'

    The Boy Scouts Book of Campfire Stories Franklin K. [Editor] Mathiews

  • For you'll have learned that only the strong can afford to act at all, and that they can do right or wrong as they please _because they are strong_. "

    Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise, Volume I 1915

  • For you'll have learned that only the strong can afford to act at all, and that they can do right or wrong as they please _because they are strong_. "

    Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise David Graham Phillips 1889

  • Trichet said "risks to the outlook for price stability are to the upside" and "strong vigilance" is necessary — the term "strong vigilance" is regarded by economists as code for an increase at next month's meeting.

    European Central Bank signals rate hike likely in July 2011

  • Trichet said "risks to the outlook for price stability are to the upside" and "strong vigilance" is necessary — the term "strong vigilance" is regarded by economists as code for an increase at next month's meeting.

    European Central Bank signals rate hike likely in July 2011

  • In 1973, Stanford sociology professor Mark Granovetter coined the terms “weak ties” to refer to acquaintances and “strong ties” to mean close friends, family, and partners.

    I Quit My Corporate Job to Become a Crossing Guard. It’s Perfect. Eden Robins 2024

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • "I am a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions. That's how the best decisions are made."

    - Barack Obama, quoted in 'Obama names former rival Clinton as secretary of state', cbcnews.ca, 1 Dec 2008.

    December 5, 2008