Synonyms for “well-rounded”: Don’t Look any further!

 

If you read any style guide, one piece of advice you will come across time and again is to avoid using the same word over and over and over again.

The reason behind this advice is that repetitive writing is boring, monotonic, and plain drab. You want to be none of those.

In fact, you want your writing to be colorful and engrossing. You want it to grip the reader and keep their attention from start to finish.

So, how do you achieve this, especially when you need to say the same word more than once?

A trick good writers resort to is using synonyms. They learn early on how to say the same thing in different ways.

Accordingly, the reader always feels like each line of writing brings something new with it.

With this in mind, let’s look at synonyms for the word “well-rounded” so that the next time it shows up in your writing, you already have a few options ready in your arsenal.
 
 

What are some synonyms for “well-rounded”?

When used to mean “competent or talented,” “well-rounded” can be replaced by “versatile,” “well-balanced,” and “multi-skilled.”

When the intended meaning is “curvaceous or plump,” “well-rounded” has “full-figured,” “chesty,” and “voluptuous” as synonyms.

And, when “well-rounded” is talking about something that is well composed and balanced, the word can be removed, and you can put in its place “comprehensive,” “well-put,” and “elegant.”

“Well-rounded” can be a bit tricky when you’re trying to find the right synonym that perfectly captures the meaning you’re going for.

Ergo, we should take a deeper dive, starting with the different meanings of this word.
 

What does “well-rounded” mean?

“Well-rounded” is an adjective, and it has two main meanings.

It can mean to be physically attractive or voluptuous. It is usually used to describe a woman or a part of her body.

 

Alternatively, “well-rounded” can mean balanced or comprehensive. The problem with this definition is that it can be used to describe several things.

For instance, it can be used to talk about someone’s personality.

So, describing someone as “well-rounded” is tantamount to saying that they are well-educated or that they have several talents and skills.

On the other hand, “well-rounded” can mean talented or skilled.

For instance, should you call an athlete “well-rounded,” you are saying that they are talented in several aspects of their game, making them a more complete player.

“Well-rounded” can also be used to talk about someone’s education. In this case, a ”well-rounded” education is one that focuses on several subjects simultaneously and that offers a broad view of the
world.

Additionally, you can use “well-rounded” to talk about things or objects, in which case you can either mean that something is comprehensive or something well-made.

In the above example, the author is saying that the story was comprehensive and covered different angles thoroughly.

Here, “well-rounded” lets us know that the verses were articulate and elegant.

So, seeing as the second definition can be used in different contexts, we have to find different synonyms for each unique context.

 

Synonyms for “well-rounded” when it means “curvaceous”

 

Curvaceous

Obviously, the first synonym we will look at today will come from the definition itself. “Curvaceous” can be used to talk about the full figure of a woman, especially if she’s chesty and has a well-defined posterior. Moreover, curvaceous is usually used to talk about the entire body rather than singling a specific body part.

 

Plump

The word “plump” can be used to describe the physical features of anything, not just humans. And, whenever you use it, it means that something is full-rounded and physically pleasing.

In the above example, the grapes are well-developed and even a bit large.

Now, when you use “plump” to describe people, you usually mean that they are a bit overweight.

The above example is another way of saying that the person being referred to was never quite chubby.

However, “plump” can also be used to describe a physically attractive woman who is also a bit chubby and curvy.

Furthermore, plump could be used to talk about different body parts, especially the lips.

You can’t really use “plump” to describe eyes or noses.

 

Full-figured

This one is very similar to “curvaceous.” The idea is that a “full-figured” woman is one whose body has matured in all possible ways.

 

Voluptuous

“Voluptuous” is one of those words that not only describe something nice but also sound nice when you say them. It has the exact same meaning as curvaceous and can be used to describe a sexually attractive woman.

You can use “voluptuous” to talk about the entire figure of a woman.

Also, “voluptuous” can be used to talk about specific body parts, and the word can describe way more parts than “plump” ever could. Obviously, lips can be voluptuous, but eyelashes can be so too.

 

Chesty

This is a rather crude synonym, yet it can send across the same meaning of sexual attractiveness.

However, while “well-rounded” talks about the entire feminine figure, “chesty” is more concerned with a specific area of the female form, the area around the upper torso.

With this in mind, “chesty” is used to describe a woman who is well-developed in that area.

 

Bosomy

“Bosomy” is very similar to “chesty.” In fact, the two are interchangeable in most, if not all, situations.

So, everything we can possibly say about “bosomy” has already been said before.

 

Buxom

“Buxom” is a mixture of “plump” and “chesty.” It basically describes someone who is a bit overweight and has a fully developed chest.

 

Synonyms for “well-rounded” when it means “balanced” or “comprehensive”

 

When “well-rounded” is used to talk about someone and their level of education

 

Knowledgeable

Someone who has had a well-rounded education is someone who is knowledgeable in many fields.

However, to use this synonym, you have to clarify that the person you are talking about actually knows something about everything.

After all, it is very possible to be knowledgeable of a certain field while being completely ignorant of all other fields.

 

Erudite

“Erudite” means to be well-educated and cultured. Ergo, when you want to mention how “well-rounded” someone is, you can just describe them as “erudite.”

 

Cultured
This word might seem a bit off from the original meaning, but it can be used in certain contexts.

You see, if referring to someone as “well-rounded” means that their education went beyond technical aspects and delved into the arts for instance, then you can call that person “cultured.”

 

Well-educated

There is a slight difference between “well-educated” and “well-rounded.” Whereas “well-rounded” looks at the breadth of the subjects taught, “well-educated” looks at the quality of said education.

Nevertheless, someone who has a “well-rounded” background will probably be “well-educated.”

After all, without a high-quality education, nothing will stick.

And, any decent education will try to offer a comprehensive view of the world as much as possible.

 

Pansophic

This has to be one of my favorite words on this list. “Pansophy” is the concept of universal knowledge or the idea of knowing everything.

However, it is used today to talk about an educated, well-rounded individual.

In fact, the word can be broken down into its constituent parts, both of which are Latin in origin. “Pan” means universal. For instance, a “pan-demic” affects the entire world.

And, “sophic” comes from “sophistry” and “sophia.” The “sophists” were teachers in ancient Greece.

 

When “well-rounded” is used to talk about the education itself

 

Comprehensive

A “well-rounded” education is comprehensive and covers several disparate subjects while showing how these subjects intersect.

 

Holistic

“Holistic” is another apt adjective to describe a “well-rounded” education. After all, a “holistic” education doesn’t focus too narrowly on any one subject.

Instead, it tries to cover any given topic from as many different angles as possible to give the learner a complete and full picture.

 

When “well-rounded” is used to talk about someone talented

 

Multi-talented

When discussing a “well-rounded” individual, you might mean that they have several talents. Remember the example of the athlete?

So, with that in mind, you can easily describe a well-rounded athlete as multi-talented. It is worth noting that describing the athlete as “well-rounded” has nothing to do with their education.

It just speaks of their skills.

 

Versatile

A “versatile” individual usually has many talents and can acclimate easily to different situations. Ergo, a “well-rounded” person is by nature “versatile.”

 

Well-balanced

“Well-balanced” is a bit more nuanced than the other synonyms given so far. The idea is that you have to be talking about the individual’s talents to be able to use “well-balanced.”

Otherwise, if you describe someone as “well-balanced” without being clear on what you are referring to, the assumption will be that the person you are talking about is even-tempered.

Also, make sure to have a look at our article on the 300 Best Adjectives to Describe Someone to get some more vocabulary ideas. 

 

Protean

As Merriam-Webster defines it, “Protean” is an adjective used to describe someone who can perform several different types of actions.

If this doesn’t perfectly describe a “well-rounded” individual, I’m not sure what is.

 

When “well-rounded” is used to talk about objects or things

 

Elegant

A “well-rounded” phrase is an “elegant” one. It feels well-crafted. Obviously, not everything that is “well-rounded” is “elegant” and vice versa.

So, where is the space where the two overlap?

Simply put, the two become interchangeable when talking about things people say or write. This includes essays, poems, and speeches.

 

Well-put

A “well-put” argument is one that seems well-conceived and carefully put together. It also tends to be “well-rounded” seeing as it factors in different viewpoints on the same matter.