rock-ribbed
Americanadjective
-
having ribs or ridges of rock.
the rock-ribbed coast of Maine.
-
unyielding; confirmed and uncompromising.
a rock-ribbed conservative.
Etymology
Origin of rock-ribbed
First recorded in 1770–80
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.
Considering what awaits them in dealership service bays, I understand why consumers would want to future-proof their sanity with the rock-ribbed V8.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
In 1997, the comedy “In & Out” did its shiny, star-studded best to mainstream the story of a closeted gay man in a rock-ribbed American community embracing his truth.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 28, 2025
Not just any river of ice, but a tidewater glacier that descended all the way from tall, snowy mountains down to the sea where it calved blue minarets into a rock-ribbed fjord.
From Scientific American • Nov. 11, 2021
Bolton comes to his newfound position as a Trump critic after a lifelong reputation as a rock-ribbed conservative, Fox News commentator and Republican serving in administrations dating back to the 1980s.
From Washington Post • Jun. 18, 2020
They convinced themselves that Adams was the enemy, and then all the evidence fell in place around that rock-ribbed, if highly questionable, conviction.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
