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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.

AI momentum is likely to continue to be supported by ongoing rapid, broad-based AI development and robust inference demand.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Using this system, T. rex ranked as the most robust skull in the study.

From Science Daily • May 20, 2026

NS&I has said that the error that led to the scandal has been rectified, and a more robust process for bereavement claims was brought in in January.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

Excessive optimism, driven by robust earnings growth, has whipped up investor sentiment to a three-month peak.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

But Wang Lung stared at her, robust and unbelieving.

From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck

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