musculoso
/muskuˈloso/
The Spanish word for muscular is musculoso.
Musculoso is used to describe a person or thing having large, well-developed muscles. Other ways to describe a muscular or robust build include the word fornido/a and the slang term mazado/a.
Meaning: having large, well-developed muscles (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed from the noun músculo (muscle) and the suffix -oso, which means 'full of' or 'characterized by'.
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, the form changes to match the gender and number of the subject. Use musculosa for a single female, musculosas for a group of females and musculosos for a group of men or a mixed-gender group.
How do you pronounce it?
/muskuˈloso/
Did you know?
- The Latin root for 'muscle' is mūsculus, which literally means 'little mouse'. This comes from the idea that a moving muscle looks like a tiny mouse scurrying under the skin.
- The slang term mazado refers to a 'mazo', which is a heavy mallet or sledgehammer, implying the person's muscles are as hard as stone.
- Because musculoso ends in the vowel 'o', it can be used as a noun to refer to a muscular man, whereas in English 'muscular' is strictly an adjective.
Examples in context
- Los culturistas que son tan musculosos lucen muy perturbadores.Bodybuilders that are so muscular look disturbing.This sentence uses musculoso to describe bodybuilders.Tatoeba #9136625 by rafaeldejesus8199, translation #9136627 by rafaeldejesus8199
- Es muy musculoso.He's very muscular.This sentence uses musculoso to describe a male subject.Tatoeba #10259715 by Seael, translation #5945284 by mailohilohi
- Él es alto y musculoso.He's tall and muscular.This sentence uses musculoso to describe a tall man.Tatoeba #2724464 by nancy, translation #2724287 by Hybrid
- El atleta tiene un cuerpo musculoso y bien definido.The athlete has a muscular and well-defined body.
- Ella hace ejercicio regularmente para mantenerse musculosa.She exercises regularly to stay muscular.
- ¡Vaya, estás mazado! ¿Cuánto tiempo has estado entrenando?Wow, you're muscular! How long have you been training?
- Mi hermano es bastante fornido debido a su trabajo manual.My brother is quite muscular because of his manual labor job.
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are at the gym.
- JavierMira a ese hombre, es muy musculoso.Look at that man, he is very muscular.
- ElenaSí, Javier, parece que entrena mucho.Yes, Javier, it looks like he trains a lot.
- JavierYo también quiero ser así de musculoso.I also want to be that muscular.
- Elena¡Tú ya tienes un cuerpo muy atlético!You already have a very athletic body!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “muscular” translations and entries musculoso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries musculoso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
