rugged

[ ruhg-id ]

adjective

1. having a roughly broken, rocky, hilly, or jagged surface:

   rugged ground.

   Synonyms: craggy, irregular, uneven

   Antonyms: smooth

2. (of a face) wrinkled or furrowed, as by experience or the endurance of hardship.
3. roughly irregular, heavy, or hard in outline or form; craggy:

   Lincoln's rugged features.

4. rough, harsh, or stern, as persons or nature.

   Synonyms: austere

   Antonyms: mild

5. full of hardship and trouble; severe; hard; trying:

   a rugged life.

6. tempestuous; stormy:

   rugged weather.

   Synonyms: turbulent

7. harsh to the ear:

   rugged sounds.

   Synonyms: cacophonous, grating

8. rude, uncultivated, or unrefined.

   Synonyms: unpolished, crude

9. homely or plain:

   rugged fare.

10. capable of enduring hardship, wear, etc.; strong and tough:

    rugged floor covering; a rugged lumberjack.

    Antonyms: frail

rugged

/ ˈrʌɡɪd /

adjective

1. having an uneven or jagged surface
2. rocky or steep

   rugged scenery

3. (of the face) strong-featured or furrowed
4. rough, severe, or stern in character
5. without refinement or culture; rude

   rugged manners

6. involving hardship; harsh

   he leads a rugged life in the mountains

7. difficult or hard

   a rugged test

8. (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

9. sturdy or strong; robust

Derived Forms

• ˈruggedness, noun
• ˈruggedly, adverb

Other Words From

• rugged·ly adverb
• rugged·ness noun
• un·rugged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rugged¹

1300–50; Middle English < Scandinavian; compare Swedish rugga to roughen (of cloth); rug

Word History and Origins

Origin of rugged¹

C14: from Scandinavian; compare Swedish rugga to make rough

Example Sentences

The best mittens, though, can help your hands survive rugged winter activities.

From Popular-Science

Eighteen miles of rugged, mostly oceanside trails are the draw.

From Outside Online

Another recent paper found that cougars in the mountains north of Santa Cruz spend similar amounts of energy avoiding humans as they do navigating the rugged landscape, and that avoiding humans is a primary limit on a cougar’s range.

From Popular-Science

That often means a one-dribble pull-up at the elbow or a rugged right-handed drive toward the baseline that ends in his patented fadeaway.

From FiveThirtyEight

The rugged cabin includes lots of hard plastic surfaces, which are easy to wipe clean in this age of coronavirus.

From Washington Blade

A more rugged version of American masculinity is hard to find on screen.

From The Daily Beast

He called out the conformism hiding in the pose of rugged individuality.

From The Daily Beast

Utah, USA Brigham Young was definitely onto something when he sought to build his Mormon “Zion” in the rugged hinterland of Utah.

From The Daily Beast

But what both men had in common was a streak of rugged individualism, stubbornness, and personal vision.

From The Daily Beast

Marquez is rugged, takes a good punch, and is a pretty defensive fighter.

From The Daily Beast

Certainly there are no five miles equal in rugged grandeur to those beginning just below and ending above West Point.

From Project Gutenberg

They crossed the bridge and rode up the gently rising, bare, and rugged ground towards Condillac.

From Project Gutenberg

Ripperda roused himself from his portentous trance, and arrayed his noble figure in the rugged habiliments of the muleteer.

From Project Gutenberg

The tourist climbing tna, or Vesuvius' rugged side, puffs on though they perchance have long since ceased to smoke.

From Project Gutenberg

It extends only a short distance into Virginia and consists mainly of rough, rugged terrain.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• craggy
• hilly
• jagged
• mountainous
• rocky
• rough