Is a sturdy person necessarily short?

[Kenny同志]

I was not very sure about the usage of the word “sturdy”, so I consulted dictionaries. It seems definitions of a given word could vary a great deal in different dictionaries. In the case of “sturdy”, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English states, “someone who is sturdy is strong, short, and healthy looking”, however, The Free Dictionary Online doesn’t specify such a quality of being“short”; it merely says, being sturdy is “having or showing rugged physical strength”.

As my ignorance of what the word implies might lead to an embarrassing situation,I feel compelled to get a confirmation. Could you bother to do me this favour?

Thanks in advance for your time.

[jbradfor]

Interesting question.

Think of "sturdy" as in a "sturdy table". What does that mean? To me, that is a table that is well built and hard to knock over.

Now extend that to a person. I think again of a "sturdy person" as one that is strong and hard to knock over.

Everything else being equal, a taller person is easier to knock over, due to the higher center of mass.

So I wouldn't say that a sturdy person has to be short, but I would find it difficult to call a tall person, no matter how strong, "sturdy". e.g. a basketball player.

[SiMaKe]

Arnold Schwarzenegger is 6'2" and, at least at some point in his life, I would have called him "sturdy".

Along with many pro (American) football players and "pro" wrestlers.

So, unless you are Dutch, Arnold and many of the others are not short.

Here is another dictionary entry for consideration

1. strongly built; stalwart; robust: sturdy young athletes.

And synonyms

1. hardy, muscular, brawny, sinewy, stout, strong, powerful.

None of these terms carry the connotation of "short".

So, IMHO, a sturdy person can be "short" but it is not a defining characteristic of "sturdy". I think Longman's overreached here.

As far as avoiding an embarrassing situation, "sturdy" can be used as a euphemism for "fat" (with American connotations). And at least one of its synonyms ("stout") contains that idea:

1. bulky in figure; heavily built; corpulent; thickset; fat: She is getting too stout for her dresses.

I would venture that "stout" generally carries a derogatory tone.

[roddy]

I would say a sturdy person is short. If he were to be tall he'd be hulking or strapping.

(with thanks to thesaurus.com)

[gato]

How about medium height?

[SiMaKe]

Main Entry: sturdy

Part of Speech: adjective

Definition: solid, durable

Synonyms: athletic, built to last, bulky, determined, firm, flourishing, hardy, hearty, hefty, hulking, husky, lusty, muscular, powerful, powerhouse, resolute, robust, rugged, secure, sound, stalwart, staunch, steadfast, stiff, stout, stouthearted, strapping, strong, strong-arm, substantial, tenacious, tough, unyielding, vigorous, well-built, well-made

I guess it's a matter of interpretation. And I just hate, hate, hate (!) to disagree with roddy since I've never known him to be wrong. Furthermore, I have always found his remarks so insightful (and frequently clever). Or maybe it's a British vs American thing. (I think I've left myself enough "outs" at this point so I'll stop.)

I really don't see any of the terms in the above list from thesaurus.com suggesting shortness. Although, I agree that many sturdy people are short. But that's just correlation, not definition.

[Kenny同志]

Thanks everybody. It seems a conclusion can be drawn from the above posts that it is safe to call a short person or one of average height "sturdy"; and though a "sturdy" person doesn't have to be short, it's better not to venture this word if the guy I am going to mention is VERY tall. Any thoughts?

[SiMaKe]

Headline from MLB.com 6/12/10

Sturdy Pettitte wins No. 200 with Yanks

Lefty limits Astros to two earned runs; early offense enough

Andy Pettitte is 6'5".

@kenny2006woo,

The danger of embarrassment resulting from calling a male "sturdy" is negligible. In fact, I believe most males would take it as a complement. However, I would refrain from calling any female "sturdy".

[Kenny同志]

I dare not to do so to a female either. haha. Thanks for further explaining this.

[roddy]

Ah, but is sturdy being used there to describe him physically, or as a strong and reliable performer?

I would say (but I wouldn't want to argue about it too much) that if you're being careful enough to pass up more generic adjectives such as strong or well-built, there'll be one that fits a tall person better than sturdy. Wouldn't say it's necessarily wrong, but if we're going to use a rarer word I'd want to get the right one.

And I just hate, hate, hate (!) to disagree with roddy since I've never known him to be wrong. Furthermore, I have always found his remarks so insightful (and frequently clever).

You superpraise my parts, sir, have a green point!

[SiMaKe]

You superpraise my parts, sir, have a green point!

What did I say? Insightful and clever!!

No wonder that discussions of Chinese nuances goes on and on. We can't even agree on our own language.:rolleyes:

Here is another example pulled from a search of NYTimes.com

Who Is Better for Knicks — Stoudemire or Lee? - Off the Dribble ...

Although undersized at 6-9, he is sturdy (249 pounds) enough to play both power forward and center. Lee and Stoudemire are considered ...

Nevertheless, I like your suggestion to use a more generic term.