compact build
Small but sturdy
A compact build describes a body type that is solid, muscular, and efficiently proportioned—strong without being tall or lanky.
The phrase suggests power contained in a smaller frame: At five-foot-seven with a compact build, she was surprisingly strong.
Athletes like gymnasts and wrestlers often have compact builds, where muscle mass concentrates rather than spreads across height.
- squatCrouching on bent legs
- stockyShort and solidly built
- built like a tankExceptionally robust and durable
- sturdySolidly built, durable
- muscularHaving well-developed sinews
fireplug · fire hydrant · wrestler · robust · solid · well-knit · dense · brick house · modular · barrel-chested · short stature · thickset · durable · low-slung · close to the ground · streamlined · space-saving · petite
compact buildlanky
Tall and ungainly thin
leggy · rangy · willowy · gangly · long-legged
compact buildspindly
Thin and fragile-looking
wiry · lean build · slender build · thin frame · bony