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Synonyms

rigorous

American  
[rig-er-uhs] / ˈrɪg ər əs /

adjective

  1. characterized by rigor; rigidly severe or harsh, as people, rules, or discipline.

    rigorous laws.

    Synonyms:
    unyielding, stiff, inflexible, hard, austere, stern
    Antonyms:
    soft, flexible
  2. severely exact or accurate; precise.

    rigorous research.

    Synonyms:
    finical, demanding
    Antonyms:
    inaccurate
  3. (of weather or climate) uncomfortably severe or harsh; extremely inclement.

    Synonyms:
    bitter, hard
    Antonyms:
    mild
  4. Logic, Mathematics. logically valid.


rigorous British  
/ ˈrɪɡərəs /

adjective

  1. characterized by or proceeding from rigour; harsh, strict, or severe

    rigorous discipline

  2. severely accurate; scrupulous

    rigorous book-keeping

  3. (esp of weather) extreme or harsh

  4. maths logic (of a proof) making the validity of the successive steps completely explicit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does rigorous mean? Rigorous is used to describe things characterized by rigor—strict discipline or severe exactness and precision.Describing an experiment or study as rigorous means it was conducted with extreme precision in order to achieve accuracy.Describing an athletic or academic program as rigorous means it is designed to be challenging and focused on strict discipline.If a teacher is known for being rigorous, it means that they are very strict about things like students completing all of their work and following the rules exactly.Example: The are the result of months of rigorous testing.

Related Words

See strict.

Other Word Forms

  • overrigorous adjective
  • overrigorousness noun
  • rigorously adverb
  • rigorousness noun
  • self-rigorous adjective
  • semirigorous adjective
  • semirigorousness noun
  • unrigorous adjective
  • unrigorousness noun

Etymology

Origin of rigorous

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin rigōrōsus; rigor, -ous

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.

“If you don’t have undergrads who value rigorous thought,” she said, “then what you end up with is a race to the bottom.”

From The Wall Street Journal

These were to come in the form of National Intelligence Estimates, and the best way to get rigorous NIEs was to rely on social scientists—or so it was believed.

From The Wall Street Journal

The new rules would require a more rigorous vetting process and impose regular, automatic comparisons of subscriber lists against Social Security death records.

From The Wall Street Journal

Honoring those contributions through careful and rigorous science motivates our entire team.

From Science Daily

The judge notes that Mr. Hegseth relies on “the well-established doctrine” that members of the military enjoy less rigorous First Amendment protection given the need for military order and disciple.

From The Wall Street Journal