rugged
Americanadjective
-
having a roughly broken, rocky, hilly, or jagged surface.
rugged ground.
- Antonyms:
- smooth
-
(of a face) wrinkled or furrowed, as by experience or the endurance of hardship.
-
roughly irregular, heavy, or hard in outline or form; craggy.
Lincoln's rugged features.
-
rough, harsh, or stern, as persons or nature.
- Synonyms:
- austere
- Antonyms:
- mild
-
full of hardship and trouble; severe; hard; trying.
a rugged life.
-
tempestuous; stormy.
rugged weather.
- Synonyms:
- turbulent
-
harsh to the ear.
rugged sounds.
- Synonyms:
- cacophonous, grating
-
rude, uncultivated, or unrefined.
- Synonyms:
- crude, unpolished
-
homely or plain.
rugged fare.
-
capable of enduring hardship, wear, etc.; strong and tough.
rugged floor covering; a rugged lumberjack.
- Antonyms:
- frail
adjective
-
having an uneven or jagged surface
-
rocky or steep
rugged scenery
-
(of the face) strong-featured or furrowed
-
rough, severe, or stern in character
-
without refinement or culture; rude
rugged manners
-
involving hardship; harsh
he leads a rugged life in the mountains
-
difficult or hard
a rugged test
-
(of equipment, machines, etc) designed to withstand rough treatment or use in rough conditions
a handheld rugged computer which can survive being submerged in water
-
sturdy or strong; robust
Other Word Forms
- ruggedly adverb
- ruggedness noun
- unrugged adjective
Etymology
Origin of rugged
1300–50; Middle English < Scandinavian; compare Swedish rugga to roughen (of cloth); cf. rug
Explanation
Terrain that is broken and uneven is called rugged. If you want an easy hike, you should stay away from the rugged coastline. That rocky shoreline is definitely for the more experienced hikers. The same sense of unevenness applies to other things that are described as rugged. If someone tells a man that he has a rugged face, it's meant to compliment his rough, strong looks. Rugged can also describe something that is steady, sturdy, and strong. Only your rugged constitution will keep you alive in that period of famine between your after school snack and dinner.
Vocabulary lists containing rugged
Where the Red Fern Grows
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Vigorous Vocab: Synonyms for "Strong"
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Herbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
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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.
The Rockets are a tough and rugged team that is good on defense and at rebounding.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
“By the time we were done, we had planted 225,000 trees across an area the size of Denmark, from the rugged interior of the province to the lush rainforests of the West Coast.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
At the time, however, the frontier – with its rugged cowboys, miners and railroad men – defined American manhood.
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026
The mountainous terrain is rugged and covered by thick bush.
From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026
Kevin is from Ohio and a near-impossible combination of tall, sweet, and rugged.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
