rigid

[ rij-id ]

adjective

1. stiff or unyielding; not pliant or flexible; hard:

   a rigid strip of metal.

   Synonyms: inflexible, firm, unbending

   Antonyms: elastic

2. firmly fixed or set.

   Synonyms: static, immovable

3. inflexible, strict, or severe:

   a rigid disciplinarian; rigid rules of social behavior.

   Synonyms: unyielding, stern, austere

   Antonyms: lax

4. exacting; thorough; rigorous:

   a rigid examination.

   Synonyms: demanding

5. so as to meet precise standards; stringent:

   lenses ground to rigid specifications.

   Synonyms: demanding

6. Mechanics. of, relating to, or noting a body in which the distance between any pair of points remains fixed under all forces; having infinite values for its shear modulus, bulk modulus, and Young's modulus.
7. Aeronautics.
   1. (of an airship or dirigible) having a form maintained by a stiff, unyielding structure contained within the envelope.
   2. pertaining to a helicopter rotor that is held fixedly at its root.

rigid

/ ˈrɪdʒɪd /

adjective

1. not bending; physically inflexible or stiff

   a rigid piece of plastic

2. unbending; rigorously strict; severe

   rigid rules

adverb

1. completely or excessively

   the lecture bored him rigid

Derived Forms

• ˈrigidly, adverb
• riˈgidity, noun

Other Words From

• ri·gidi·ty rigid·ness noun
• rigid·ly adverb
• over·rigid adjective
• over·rigid·ly adverb
• over·rigid·ness noun
• over·ri·gidi·ty noun
• sub·rigid adjective
• sub·rigid·ly adverb
• sub·rigid·ness noun
• subri·gidi·ty noun
• un·rigid adjective
• un·rigid·ly adverb
• un·rigid·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rigid¹

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin rigidus, equivalent to rig(ēre) “to be stiff, stiffen” + -idus -id ⁴

Word History and Origins

Origin of rigid¹

C16: from Latin rigidus , from rigēre to be stiff

Synonym Study

See strict.

Example Sentences

In order to preserve the rigid status quo, the clan’s patriarch will do everything he can to keep the winds of change from invading his household and affecting his wife and daughters.

From Los Angeles Times

“We reject any proposals that impose undue burden on industries,” Saudi Arabia said in its opening statement Monday, arguing for “recycling solutions rather than imposing rigid and exclusionary policies.”

From Los Angeles Times

He was very rigid with scheduling — go to work, come home, have dinner with my mother without the kids, and go to the boat on the weekend.

From Salon

With L7’s Fast and Frightening Takeover, Sparks hopes to capture the spirit of the L.A. scene when punk was an impulse to create something new and not an aesthetic with rigid rules and an established sound.

From Los Angeles Times

For example, they adjust the stiffness of their muscles when they walk on a more rigid surface.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• adamant
• austere
• definite
• exact
• fixed
• hard-line
• harsh
• inflexible
• intransigent
• rigorous
• solid
• stern
• stringent
• uncompromising
• unyielding