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robust

American  
[roh-buhst, roh-buhst] / roʊˈbʌst, ˈroʊ bʌst /

adjective

  1. strong and healthy; hardy; vigorous.

    a robust young man; a robust faith; a robust mind.

    Synonyms:
    sound, powerful
    Antonyms:
    feeble
  2. strongly or stoutly built.

    his robust frame.

    Antonyms:
    weak
  3. suited to or requiring bodily strength or endurance.

    robust exercise.

  4. rough, rude, or boisterous.

    robust drinkers and dancers.

    Synonyms:
    rambunctious, coarse
  5. rich and full-bodied.

    the robust flavor of freshly brewed coffee.

  6. strong and effective in all or most situations and conditions.

    The system requires robust passwords that contain at least one number or symbol.

    Our goal is to devise robust statistical methods.


robust British  
/ ˈrəʊbʌst, rəʊˈbʌst /

adjective

  1. strong in constitution; hardy; vigorous

  2. sturdily built

    a robust shelter

  3. requiring or suited to physical strength

    a robust sport

  4. (esp of wines) having a rich full-bodied flavour

  5. rough or boisterous

  6. (of thought, intellect, etc) straightforward and imbued with common sense

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of robust

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin rōbustus “oaken, hard, strong,” equivalent to rōbus- (stem of rōbur “oak, strength”) + -tus, adjective suffix

Explanation

Use robust to describe a person or thing that is healthy and strong, or strongly built. This adjective also commonly describes food or drink: a robust wine has a rich, strong flavor. If your school has a robust sports program, it means they offer lots of different kinds of sports and that a lot of kids participate. If you have a robust speaking voice, it means you have a voice that's deep and loud and strong. Robust is from Latin robustus "of oak, hard, strong," from robur "oak tree, strength."

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Vocabulary lists containing robust

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.

See Examples For:

But “we do have a robust population,” Lyons says.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 26, 2026

And to think there were question marks over whether Guardiola's style - honed at Barcelona - would work in the more robust English game.

From BBC Aug. 25, 2026

A US government spokesman told AFP that security cooperation with Kuwait remains robust.

From Barron's Aug. 25, 2026

This strategy “is becoming increasingly critical and one that we believe will shine as we move further through today’s robust AI infrastructure buildout,” Muse said.

From MarketWatch Aug. 24, 2026

The colonists saw a robust, erect-postured man wearing only a loincloth; his straight black hair was shaved in front but flowed down his shoulders behind.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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