robust

American  

[roh-buhst, roh-buhst] / roʊˈbʌst, ˈroʊ bʌst /

adjective

1. strong and healthy; hardy; vigorous.

   a robust young man; a robust faith; a robust mind.

   Synonyms:

   sound, powerful

   Antonyms:

   feeble

2. strongly or stoutly built.

   his robust frame.

   Antonyms:

   weak

3. suited to or requiring bodily strength or endurance.

   robust exercise.

4. rough, rude, or boisterous.

   robust drinkers and dancers.

   Synonyms:

   rambunctious, coarse

5. rich and full-bodied.

   the robust flavor of freshly brewed coffee.

6. strong and effective in all or most situations and conditions.

   The system requires robust passwords that contain at least one number or symbol.

   Our goal is to devise robust statistical methods.

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robust British  

/ ˈrəʊbʌst, rəʊˈbʌst /

adjective

1. strong in constitution; hardy; vigorous

2. sturdily built

   a robust shelter

3. requiring or suited to physical strength

   a robust sport

4. (esp of wines) having a rich full-bodied flavour

5. rough or boisterous

6. (of thought, intellect, etc) straightforward and imbued with common sense

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Other Word Forms

• robustly adverb
• robustness noun
• unrobust adjective
• unrobustly adverb
• unrobustness noun

Etymology

Origin of robust

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin rōbustus “oaken, hard, strong,” equivalent to rōbus- (stem of rōbur “oak, strength”) + -tus, adjective suffix

Explanation

Use robust to describe a person or thing that is healthy and strong, or strongly built. This adjective also commonly describes food or drink: a robust wine has a rich, strong flavor. If your school has a robust sports program, it means they offer lots of different kinds of sports and that a lot of kids participate. If you have a robust speaking voice, it means you have a voice that's deep and loud and strong. Robust is from Latin robustus "of oak, hard, strong," from robur "oak tree, strength."

Example Sentences

With EVs now making up more than half of sales volume and robust overseas sales, Geely Auto appears to be going from strength to strength.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

That’s a healthy pace of growth, but not quite as robust as the 3% or higher many economists expected at the start of the year.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

“Traders now focus on the next steps in peace talks and today’s U.S. inventory report for further signs of how quickly U.S. stockpiles are falling amid robust export demand,” said analysts at Saxo Bank.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

Written with clear compassion and boasting a robust performance by Lili Taylor, “I Shot Andy Warhol” portrays Solanas as a product of modern alienation.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026

We enjoyed this new cadence, taking the time to help Chi-Boy gather sticks for arrows, playing in the clearings dotted with strangely robust flowers new to the territory.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Related Words

• booming
• hearty
• hefty
• potent
• powerful
• prosperous
• sturdy
• tough
• vigorous