Literary notes about Robustious (AI summary)
In literature, the adjective "robustious" is deployed to evoke a sense of vigorous, unrestrained passion and a physically or emotionally imposing presence. Writers use it both to denote the brawny, courageous qualities of characters—for instance, a lion-tamer sharing the creature’s resolve [1] or a soldier marching like a "robustious champion" [2]—and to highlight an extravagant style marked by excess and flamboyance, as seen in descriptions of actors or speakers whose booming, animated delivery rouses an entire crowd [3, 4]. At times, the term subtly critiques a kind of overblown mannerism, suggesting that excessive vehemence, like tearing a passion to tatters, can verge on the absurd [5, 6]. Thus, "robustious" serves as a versatile descriptor, encapsulating both physical sturdiness and a display of unbridled, sometimes ostentatious, emotional expression [7, 8].
- The lion-tamer, who enters unscathed the den of his charge, must share the robustious courage and determination of the beast with which he associates.
— from Hunting in Many Lands: The Book of the Boone and Crockett Club - Displaie my banner with a good courage, march foorth like strong and robustious champions, and begin the battell like hardie conquerors.
— from Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (3 of 6): England (6 of 9)
Richard the Third, Third Sonne to Richard Duke of Yorke, and Uncle to Edward the Fift by Raphael Holinshed - The robustious voice of Captain Le Mesurier sounded from the hall.
— from The Philanderers by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason - To draw your steps, it is the showman’s privilege to make what blare he please upon the sidewalk; to puff his cheeks with robustious announcement.
— from Journeys to Bagdad by Charles S. (Charles Stephen) Brooks - [D] ‘O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion into tatters.’
— from English Costume by Dion Clayton Calthrop - Oh, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious, periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the
— from Violin Mastery: Talks with Master Violinists and Teachers by Frederick Herman Martens - Robustious means making an extravagant show of passion.
— from Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare - From Dick you could expect nothing but health and cleanliness and robustious conventionality.
— from Witness for the Defence by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason