rigorous
Americanadjective
-
characterized by rigor; rigidly severe or harsh, as people, rules, or discipline.
rigorous laws.
- Synonyms:
- unyielding, stiff, inflexible, hard, austere, stern
-
severely exact or accurate; precise.
rigorous research.
- Antonyms:
- inaccurate
-
(of weather or climate) uncomfortably severe or harsh; extremely inclement.
- Antonyms:
- mild
-
Logic, Mathematics. logically valid.
adjective
-
characterized by or proceeding from rigour; harsh, strict, or severe
rigorous discipline
-
severely accurate; scrupulous
rigorous book-keeping
-
(esp of weather) extreme or harsh
-
maths logic (of a proof) making the validity of the successive steps completely explicit
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.
The crew members paused their rigorous scientific observations for just three or four minutes to let the surreal feeling settle.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
By identifying which universals truly stand up to rigorous testing, the study helps narrow the focus for future research.
From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026
In Canada gun ownership is regulated by laws that require would-be gun owners to obtain a licence by passing a safety course and rigorous background checks before they can purchase a firearm.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
As a result, batters this spring went through a rigorous measurement protocol unlike anything MLB had ever undertaken.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
There was a risk that Morrison might slip away, and before releasing him, Agent Burger made sure that he’d gone through a rigorous process known as Bertillonage.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
