From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsturdystur‧dy /ˈstɜːdi $ ˈstɜːr-/ ●○○ adjective (comparative sturdier, superlative sturdiest) 1 STRONG OBJECTan object that is sturdy is strong, well-made, and not easily broken → solid That chair doesn’t look very sturdy. sturdy comfortable shoes► see thesaurus at strong2 STRONG PERSONsomeone who is sturdy is strong, short, and healthy looking → stocky a sturdy young man sturdy legs3 DETERMINEDdetermined and not easily persuaded to change your opinions They kept up a sturdy opposition to the plan. —sturdily adverb —sturdiness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
sturdy• a table that was old and sturdy• The digital makeup of the sensor means it is sturdy and fast, yet simple and cheap to produce.• He was short and sturdy and when he was on a horse he seemed a part of it.• Somewhere the sturdy beggars nursed their wounds and cursed.• We have seen shallow, shortlived economic recoveries, sturdy, eight-year booms, temporary slowdowns, and deep depressions.• However, the development and deployment of a sturdy handpump has been at the center of many of these projects.• a sturdy jaw• The ponies used underground were sturdy little animals that came originally from Northern Spain.• Mrs Harding herself was thin and frail but her son was a sturdy sixteen-year- old.• Before that time, alcohol had been in general use to deaden pain, though some sturdy souls rejected it on principle.• Hanging about a foot from attached wall mounts, these sturdy steel bells would grace any garden.• sturdy walking shoes• Maria was small and sturdy, with dark hair and dark eyes.• She was a large, sturdy woman in her mid-fifties.Origin sturdy (1200-1300) Old French estourdi “stupidly brave, stunned”, from estourdir “to stun”, from Vulgar Latin exturdire “to behave like a thrush that has got drunk from eating grapes”, from Latin turdus “thrush” 