rigour

American

[rig-er] / ˈrɪg ər /

noun

Chiefly British.

a variant of rigor.

rigour British

/ ˈrɪɡə /

noun

harsh but just treatment or action
a severe or cruel circumstance; hardship

the rigours of famine
strictness, harshness, or severity of character
strictness in judgment or conduct; rigorism
maths logic logical validity or accuracy
obsolete rigidity

"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

Etymology

Origin of rigour

C14: from Latin rigor

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.

"England head coach Steve Borthwick has engaged in the review with honesty and rigour, and he and his coaching team are already addressing issues identified."

From BBC • May 5, 2026

"The rule of law will act with all due rigour."

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

"With his rigour, his courage and his idealism, he embodied a lofty idea of the Republic," said President Emmanuel Macron.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

"During her decades at Woman's Hour, she helped shape the national conversation with intelligence, rigour and a remarkable ability to connect with audiences," Bakaya added.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Their new science was organized around the virtues of a juge d’instruction: intellectual rigour, a set of formalized procedures, a quest for a complete proof, a confidence that one need only answer to other professionals.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023