The right strong synonym changes with the thing you describe: a person is powerful or muscular, a table is sturdy, coffee is intense, an argument is compelling and a friend after hard news is resilient. Few adjectives cover so much ground, which is why the wrong swap stands out.
Use the groups below to find another word for strong in each sense, then check the shades of strength, the word forms (stronger, strongest, strongly) and the antonyms. Related pages cover powerful and tough in more depth.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
powerful, sturdy, robust, intensePart of speech
AdjectiveMost formal
cogent, robust, steadfastMost casual
beefy, brawny, grittyStrongest
mighty, overpowering, unshakableAntonyms
weak, feeble, flimsyWord forms covered
stronger, strongest, strongly, strength
Every strong synonym, matched to its subject
Ask what kind of strength you mean. A word that suits a bridge rarely suits a cup of tea.
| Describing | Try | Sample line |
|---|---|---|
| A body | muscular, athletic, brawny, burly | The movers were burly men. |
| An object | sturdy, durable, robust, heavy-duty | Buy a durable case for the laptop. |
| A flavor or smell | potent, pungent, bold, rich | The cheese has a pungent smell. |
| An argument | compelling, convincing, cogent | She made a cogent case. |
| A character | resilient, determined, steadfast | He stayed steadfast through the trial. |
| A feeling | fervent, deep, staunch, ardent | They are staunch supporters of the club. |
Measuring degrees of strength
Picture the chips as steps from firm up to mighty. Firm only says something holds steady. Sturdy adds that it will not wobble or break with daily use. Robust suggests it can survive rough handling and is a favorite in technical and business writing (a robust system, robust evidence). Powerful moves from holding up to pushing out force, and mighty is the grand, slightly poetic top end.
For flavors, bold is a compliment and overpowering is a complaint, even though both describe a lot of taste.
Strong in context: before and after
- A strong rope becomes a sturdy rope.
- A strong smell of garlic becomes a pungent smell of garlic.
- Strong evidence becomes compelling evidence or solid evidence.
- A strong swimmer becomes a powerful swimmer.
- Strong support from voters becomes firm support from voters.
- She is a strong person becomes she is a resilient person.
In a reference letter: "Maya is a strong candidate with strong skills." Changing it to "Maya is an outstanding candidate with proven skills" removes the repeat and gives the reader something specific to trust.
Stronger, strongest, strongly and strength
For stronger, try more powerful, sturdier, tougher or more convincing, depending on the sense. For strongest, use most powerful, toughest or most compelling, and keep mightiest for stories.
The adverb strongly usually means very much: I strongly recommend becomes I highly recommend or I firmly recommend, and strongly disagree becomes firmly disagree or completely disagree. Strength, the noun, is covered on the strength synonyms page.
Close calls that change the meaning
Hard is not the same as strong. Glass is hard but breaks easily. Heavy is about weight, not force. Violent and aggressive add harm or hostility, so a strong wind and a violent wind are different reports. Stubborn sounds like a flaw where determined sounds like praise, even when both describe the same refusal to give up.
Antonyms of strong
Each sense has its own opposite. People can be weak, frail or feeble. Objects are flimsy or fragile. Tastes are mild or bland. Arguments are unconvincing or shaky. Frail is gentle and fits older people with care, while feeble can sound dismissive.
More adjectives like these are gathered under describing words.
Frequently asked questions
Which word for strong sounds fancy?
Robust, formidable and cogent sound polished. Robust suits systems and evidence, formidable suits rivals and challenges, and cogent suits arguments.
What is a strong synonym for a person?
Use powerful or muscular for the body and resilient or determined for character. Strapping and burly are casual and describe size as well as strength.
Can I use powerful instead of strong?
Often, yes. Powerful fits engines, speeches, people and drugs. It sounds odd for objects that simply hold up, so a powerful shelf is wrong where a sturdy shelf is right.
What is another word for strong in a resume?
Swap strong skills for proven, advanced or solid skills, and back the word with a result. Recruiters see strong so often that it barely registers.
What is the opposite of strong?
Weak is the general antonym. Frail fits people, flimsy fits objects and mild fits flavors or reactions.
Is robust the same as strong?
Close, but robust stresses surviving stress or variation. A robust plan still works when things go wrong, which is a little more than being strong.