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.
Synonym Usage
See strict.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rigorous
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin rigōrōsus; see rigor, -ous
Explanation
If you are rigorous when you do something, you do it extremely carefully and precisely. A rigorous inspection of your tax records has revealed the government owes you money. Congratulations! The Latin root for rigorous is rigor, meaning “stiffness.” This might remind you of rigor mortis, the stiffening of a body after death, as often seen on cop shows. This is a good, if creepy, way of remembering the meaning of rigorous: rigorous people are stiff and unbending about the standards of their work. This requires being alive, of course.
Vocabulary lists containing rigorous
List 1
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The Giver
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This Week in Words: September 25 - October 1, 2017
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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.
The judge seized on the Justice Department’s decision to charge the case through a complaint rather than the more rigorous process of securing an indictment through a grand jury.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Even though some were discovered in scientific labs and tested in animals, none have gone through rigorous clinical trials in the U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
"MMA recognizes the ocean floor surrounding American Samoa carries cultural, economic, and environmental significance, requiring that the pursuit of national security and energy readiness is balanced with rigorous environmental stewardship," he added.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
Together, these findings suggest that GAE is associated with promising improvements, particularly in observational studies, but more rigorous trials are needed to establish how much benefit comes directly from blocking the blood vessels.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
But to reach great success in the world, James knew he needed a more rigorous college education.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
