robust
Americanadjective
-
strong and healthy; hardy; vigorous.
a robust young man; a robust faith; a robust mind.
- Antonyms:
- feeble
-
strongly or stoutly built.
his robust frame.
- Antonyms:
- weak
-
suited to or requiring bodily strength or endurance.
robust exercise.
-
rough, rude, or boisterous.
robust drinkers and dancers.
- Synonyms:
- rambunctious, coarse
-
rich and full-bodied.
the robust flavor of freshly brewed coffee.
-
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.
adjective
-
strong in constitution; hardy; vigorous
-
sturdily built
a robust shelter
-
requiring or suited to physical strength
a robust sport
-
(esp of wines) having a rich full-bodied flavour
-
rough or boisterous
-
(of thought, intellect, etc) straightforward and imbued with common sense
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."
Vocabulary lists containing robust
"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
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Born a Crime
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This Week in Words: August 11 - 17, 2018
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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.
He said the industry hasn’t seen such robust demand growth since the years following World War II.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
While the excuses change — “family time,” “security concerns” and “scheduling conflicts” have been cited — the one constant is that Erika Kirk manages to not appear when the crowds aren’t looking robust.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
"The idea that 'yo-yo dieting ruins your metabolism' is not supported by robust evidence," they say.
From Science Daily • May 17, 2026
Stable consumer spending, plus a big surge in business investment in artificial intelligence, could lead to robust second-quarter growth based on the official scorecard for the economy known as gross domestic product.
From MarketWatch • May 16, 2026
Stick-thin, alabaster-pale Etienne LeBlanc runs down the rue de Dinan with Madame Ruelle, the baker’s wife, on his heels: the least- robust rescue ever assembled.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
