rigorous

[rig-er-uhs]

adjective

1. characterized by rigor; rigidly severe or harsh, as people, rules, or discipline.

   rigorous laws.

   Synonyms: unyielding, stiff, inflexible, hard, austere, stern
   Antonyms: soft, flexible

2. severely exact or accurate; precise.

   rigorous research.

   Synonyms: finical, demanding
   Antonyms: inaccurate

3. (of weather or climate) uncomfortably severe or harsh; extremely inclement.

   Synonyms: bitter, hard
   Antonyms: mild

4. Logic, Mathematics.,  logically valid.

rigorous

/ ˈrɪɡərəs /

adjective

1. characterized by or proceeding from rigour; harsh, strict, or severe

   rigorous discipline

2. severely accurate; scrupulous

   rigorous book-keeping

3. (esp of weather) extreme or harsh

4. maths logic (of a proof) making the validity of the successive steps completely explicit

Other Word Forms

• rigorously adverb
• rigorousness noun
• overrigorous adjective
• overrigorousness noun
• self-rigorous adjective
• semirigorous adjective
• semirigorousness noun
• unrigorous adjective
• unrigorousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of rigorous¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin rigōrōsus; rigor, -ous

Synonym Study

See strict.

Example Sentences

“The demonstration went through a rigorous safety evaluation, and deliberate layers of redundancy, to ensure the safety of fellow citizens,” the statement said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A spokeswoman for the insurance giant said the governor’s criticism “misrepresents the rigorous actuarial analysis that supports our filings.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Ibogaine gave me my life back. With AB 1103, California is leading — empowering researchers to advance rigorous studies with the urgency this work warrants.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

However, Dr. Kim noted that before this study, rigorous placebo-controlled evidence was scarce, and awareness of the treatment remained low among clinicians in other parts of the world.

Read more on Science Daily

A former radiation oncologist, Bernard also said he would need to complete several years of training and pass several rigorous exams before he could renew his certification and practice again.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• accurate 
• brutal 
• burdensome 
• correct 
• exacting 
• harsh 
• meticulous 
• onerous 
• precise 
• proper 
• rigid 
• scrupulous 
• strict 
• stringent 
• uncompromising 

When To Use

What does rigorous mean?

Rigorous is used to describe things characterized by rigor—strict discipline or severe exactness and precision.Describing an experiment or study as rigorous means it was conducted with extreme precision in order to achieve accuracy.Describing an athletic or academic program as rigorous means it is designed to be challenging and focused on strict discipline.If a teacher is known for being rigorous, it means that they are very strict about things like students completing all of their work and following the rules exactly.Example: The are the result of months of rigorous testing.