corpulent
adjective
cor·pu·lent
ˈkȯr-pyə-lənt 
: having a large bulky body : obese
… were a bit corpulent from too many years of privileged living …—
Thomas Cutler
Thomas Cutler
corpulently
adverb
Did you know?
The Duchess of Windsor may have said that you can never be too rich or too thin, but that's a rather modern point of view. In earlier times in Europe, being overweight was considered a sign of wealth and well-being, as demonstrated by the corpulence of many European kings. Still today, corpulence is thought to be superior to thinness in some of the world's cultures. But corpulent and corpulence are less often used than they once were, and we're now probably more likely to say "obese" and "obesity".
Synonyms
Examples of corpulent in a Sentence
a corpulent, elegantly dressed opera singer came out and sang, and we knew it was over
Recent Examples on the Web
The corpulent clouds in Delaunay’s Tour Rouge (1911–12), for instance, bear no closer equivalents than those painted by Fernand Léger during the same years, visible across the Guggenheim’s atrium in a rendering of Parisian rooftops.
—Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019
All of them follow this corpulent detective, Nero, who lives in a town house with his butler, Fritz.
—The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
But Beijing’s intent is merely to protect its own citizens, meaning the gangs are shifting their focus towards the corpulent West instead.
—TIME, 21 Mar. 2024
So does the casting of Martin Short as Kingfish, a corpulent gill-man who lays around like Jabba the Hutt.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023
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Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019
All of them follow this corpulent detective, Nero, who lives in a town house with his butler, Fritz.
—The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2024
But Beijing’s intent is merely to protect its own citizens, meaning the gangs are shifting their focus towards the corpulent West instead.
—TIME, 21 Mar. 2024
So does the casting of Martin Short as Kingfish, a corpulent gill-man who lays around like Jabba the Hutt.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for corpulent
Dictionary Entries Near corpulent
Cite this Entry
“Corpulent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corpulent. Accessed 19 Feb. 2025.
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corpulent
adjective
cor·pu·lent
ˈkȯr-pyə-lənt
: very fat : obese
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