Solid means hard and strong, or made of the same material all the way through: solid food is food that isn't liquid, and solid oak is oak all the way through, not a thin layer over something else. In a figurative sense it means reliable and well-founded: solid evidence, a solid reputation. But solid isn't the word for everything serious or impressive: a man who looks serious and successful is respectable-looking, a company with a good name is a reputable firm, and when someone is very old, we talk about their advanced age.
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solid + food/wood/gold; solid + evidence/reputation; three solid + hours/days; look respectable, a reputable firm (not solid)
- The baby is six months old, so we've started giving her some solid food.
- This table is made of solid oak, which is why it's so heavy to move.
- The police needed solid evidence before they could arrest the manager.
What changed
First versionIn his dark suit and glasses, my brother looks very solid.
RevisionIn his dark suit and glasses, my brother looks very respectable.
Solid can seem a good word for someone who looks serious and successful, but when it describes a person, looks solid suggests “looks strong and heavily built”. For someone who looks serious and well dressed in a suit, use respectable: looks very respectable.
Solid has one more meaning: “without a break, continuous”. It rained for three solid days. People say this about time when they want to stress how long it dragged on: two solid hours, a solid week of work.
Your turn
My grandmother is ninety-two, but despite her ___ age she still walks to the market every day.
Show the answer
advanced — Ninety-two is a very old age, and the natural phrase for it is advanced age. Solid means hard or reliable, and it isn't used to describe how old a person is.
Describe something in your home that has lasted for many years. Name it and use solid to say what it's made of.
Our kitchen table is made of solid pine, and it has survived three moves and two cats.
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