vigorouslooking

Vigorouslooking is an English adjective formed by combining vigorous and looking into a single closed compound. It describes a person, animal, or thing that gives the impression of vigor, energy, or good health based on outward appearance or demeanor. The term is a neologism and is far less common than its hyphenated form vigorous-looking; in formal writing, guidance typically prefers the hyphenated variant, though some authors may use the closed form for stylistic reasons.

Usage and nuance: It conveys appearance rather than demonstrated capacity. The descriptor is most often used in descriptive writing, literary prose, or casual commentary, and is less typical in technical or scholarly texts.

Examples: The athlete had a vigorouslooking stride as she crossed the finish line. The elderly dog still moved with a vigorouslooking bounce, surprising its owner.

Spelling and style: Most editors and dictionaries favor vigorous-looking for clarity; vigorouslooking is unusual and may be treated as a typographical variant or nonce formation, particularly in formal contexts.

Origin: The term derives from the base words vigorous and looking. As a compound adjective, it follows the broad pattern of creating descriptive terms from a noun or adjective plus a participle, although it remains relatively uncommon in standard usage.

See also: compound adjectives; hyphenation conventions; neologisms; appearance-based descriptors.