Schwarzenegger

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʃwɔːɹtsəˌnɛɡə(ɹ)/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from German Schwarzenegger.

Proper noun

Schwarzenegger (plural Schwarzeneggers)

  1. A surname from German; used specifically of Arnold Schwarzenegger (b. 1947), an Austrian-American businessman and governor of California, known especially for his success as a professional bodybuilder and action film actor.
    • 2002 May 10, John Patterson, “Age shall wither them”, in The Guardian[1], archived from the original on 9 July 2020:
      The Twilight of the Action-Movie Gods has been a long time coming. The great action-hero triumvirate of the Reagan-Bush years—Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis—seem collectively to have realised that the shadows are lengthening at the end of their day in the sun.
    • 2015 June 16, Nicholas Barber, “Arnie turns sensitive”, in 1843[2], archived from the original on 5 January 2025:
      Schwarzenegger vs Zombies” is a pitch that would have most studio executives sprinting for their chequebooks, but “Maggie” isn't the film they'd have in mind.
    • 2020 January 22, Howard Cole, “Book Excerpt: The 50 Greatest Dodger Games of All Time”, in Sports Illustrated[3], archived from the original on 29 October 2025:
      When he graduated from UCLA on time, he missed getting Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by four months.
    • 2021 January 10, Martin Pengelly, “Schwarzenegger rebukes Trump and compares Capitol riot to Kristallnacht”, in The Guardian[4], →ISSN, archived from the original on 4 July 2021:
      Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a stinging rebuke of Donald Trump on Sunday, comparing the riot at the US Capitol which the president incited to Kristallnacht, the night in November 1938 when Nazi thugs attacked Jewish Germans and their property, a harbinger of horrors to come.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

After Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Noun

Schwarzenegger (plural Schwarzeneggers)

  1. An exceptionally muscular bodybuilder.
    • 1994, Elise Title, Body Heat, page 189:
      He rubbed his hands together. "Believe it or not, there was a time when I considered giving acting a go. What do you think, Miss Fox?" He flexed impressive biceps. "Would I have had a chance against the Schwarzeneggers and the Chuck Norris types?"
    • 2000, Lou Ravelle, Gym Biz: Starting and Running Your Own Gym for Profit, page 8:
      Unless you are another Schwarzenegger, or you have a doctorate in muscle growth, forget the heavy mob, (bless 'em).
    • 2001, Bill McKibben, Long Distance: A Year of Living Strenuously, page 79:
      Fussell finally competed in a contest. He came in second, but he clearly wasn't going to be the next Schwarzenegger—and finally something snapped. "Having come three thousand miles, having gained eighty pounds, I wanted out."
    • 2005, Kevin Beck, Run Strong, page 237:
      That's simply not enough time to build the massive quads that are great for cycling but are a hindrance to distance running, or to become the next Schwarzenegger in the gym.
Derived terms

German

Etymology

From Schwarzenegg +‎ -er, literally someone from Schwarzenegg, referring to any of various places so named in Switzerland and Austria, from schwarz (black) +‎ Egg (ridge), cognate with Ecke.[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈʃvaɐ̯tsn̩ˌʔɛɡɐ]
  • Hyphenation: Schwar‧zen‧eg‧ger

Proper noun

Schwarzenegger m or f (proper noun, surname, masculine genitive Schwarzeneggers or (with an article) Schwarzenegger, feminine genitive Schwarzenegger, plural Schwarzeneggers or Schwarzenegger)

  1. a surname

Declension

References