vigorous
Americanadjective
-
full of or characterized by vigor.
a vigorous effort.
- Antonyms:
- weak
-
a vigorous youngster.
- Antonyms:
- weak
-
energetic; forceful: a vigorous personality.
vigorous steps;
a vigorous personality.
- Synonyms:
- powerful
- Antonyms:
- weak
-
powerful in action or effect.
vigorous law enforcement.
- Antonyms:
- weak
-
growing well, as a plant.
- Antonyms:
- weak
adjective
-
endowed with bodily or mental strength or vitality; robust
-
displaying, involving, characterized by, or performed with vigour
vigorous growth
Synonym Usage
See active.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of vigorous
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin vigorōsus; see vigor, -ous
Explanation
Anything vigorous is done with force and energy. Vigorous exercise makes you sweat, and a vigorous denial makes someone else sweat. Vigorous is a description for something strong or enthusiastic. It comes from the French word vigour, meaning "liveliness, activity." An active, physically energetic person is vigorous, and mental activities can be vigorous too, when they require a lot of mental effort. A vigorous argument doesn’t have to include physical wrestling; it just might involve verbal sparring.
Vocabulary lists containing vigorous
Tuck Everlasting
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Bridge to Terabithia
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The Witch of Blackbird Pond
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Vigorous activity may not be safe for everyone, especially older adults or people with certain medical conditions. For them, any increase in movement is still beneficial, and activity should be tailored to the individual."
From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026
Vigorous, principled disagreement remains essential to a thriving democracy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
Vigorous social media marketing brings clients from Malmesbury, Cirencester and the villages around.
From BBC • May 27, 2025
Vigorous exercise makes that impossible, said Audrey Collins, a postdoctoral research scientist at AdventHealth Research Institute and the paper’s co-lead author.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2025
Vigorous and almost unstoppable her whole life, this illness hit her hard.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
