Well-built means strongly and solidly made. A wall, a wardrobe, or a person.
Applied to buildings and furniture it is plain praise for good construction. Applied to a person it means muscular and solid, and it is one of the few polite ways English has of describing a large male frame, which is why it appears in descriptions and personal advertisements. It is a compliment in both uses. Sturdy, solid and substantial are the near neighbours.
1adjectivewell-builtSolidly and strongly constructed.
“It is an old house but very well-built.”
2adjectivemuscularOf a person, muscular and solidly built.
“He was a well-built man in his fifties.”
From well + built.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in A Man Called Ove
First appears in chapter 38 of A Man Called Ove.
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