Thickset describes someone with a solid, sturdy body type: broad and compact rather than tall and thin. A thickset person has a thick, muscular build with wide shoulders and a strong frame. Think of the difference between a greyhound (lean and long) and a bulldog (powerful and stocky). A thickset football lineman or rugby player has the kind of body built for strength and power rather than speed and agility.

The word can also describe things that are planted or placed close together. A thickset hedge has bushes growing densely packed, with little space between them, creating a thick barrier that's hard to see through.

While stocky and burly mean similar things, thickset particularly emphasizes that compact, densely built quality. It's purely descriptive: a thickset wrestler might dominate on the mat, while a thickset farmer might handle heavy work with ease. The word simply describes a physical build, not someone's health or worth.