rock-ribbed

or rock-rib

[ rok-ribd ]

adjective

1. having ribs or ridges of rock:

   the rock-ribbed coast of Maine.

2. unyielding; confirmed and uncompromising:

   a rock-ribbed conservative.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rock-ribbed¹

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

I grew up in Lake View, New York, a rock-ribbed Republican suburb of Buffalo.

From Salon

Of course, with the rock-ribbed conservatives to the chief justice’s right, there may be scant prospect of similar goodwill.

From Los Angeles Times

One question Heller plays with throughout the book is whether all this rock-ribbed, superior-feeling sense of the world is covering up for something — and whether we’re missing something important when we long to be saviors.

From Los Angeles Times

Bacharach and David’s first hit with Warwick can still startle you with its blend of romantic desperation and rock-ribbed defiance.

From Los Angeles Times

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 Literature

Related Words

• craggy
• jagged
• rough