Rigid RIG'ID, a. [Gr. to be stiff; L. frigeo, frigidus; Heb. to be
still, to be stiff.] 1. Stiff; not pliant; not easily bent. It is
applied to bodies or substances that are naturally soft or flexible,
but not fluid. We never say, a rigid stone or rigid iron, nor do we say,
rigid ice; but we say, an animal body or limb, when cold, is rigid. Rigid
is then opposed to flexible, but expresses less than inflexible.
2. Strict in opinion, practice or discipline; severe in temper; opposed
to lax or indulgent; as a rigid father or master; a rigid officer.
3. Strict; exact; as a rigid law or rule; rigid discipline; rigid
criticism. 4. Severely just; as a rigid sentence or judgment.
5. Exactly according to the sentence or law; as rigid execution.
rigid
adj 1: incapable of or resistant to bending; "a rigid strip of
metal"; "a table made of rigid plastic"; "a palace
guardsman stiff as a poker"; "stiff hair"; "a stiff neck"
[syn: rigid, stiff]
2: incapable of compromise or flexibility [syn: rigid,
strict]
3: incapable of adapting or changing to meet circumstances; "a
rigid disciplinarian"; "an inflexible law"; "an unbending
will to dominate" [syn: inflexible, rigid, unbending]
4: designating an airship or dirigible having a form maintained
by a stiff unyielding frame or structure [ant: nonrigid]
5: fixed and unmoving; "with eyes set in a fixed glassy stare";
"his bearded face already has a set hollow look"- Connor
Cruise O'Brien; "a face rigid with pain" [syn: fixed,
set, rigid]
rigid adjectiveEtymology: Middle English rigide, from Latin rigidus,
from rigēre to be stiff Date: 15th century 1.a. deficient in or devoid of flexibility <rigid price
controls> <a rigid bar of metal> b. appearing
stiff and unyielding <his face rigid with pain>
2.a. inflexibly set in opinion b. strictly observed
<adheres to a rigid schedule>
3. firmly inflexible rather than lax or indulgent <a
rigid disciplinarian> 4. precise and accurate in procedure
<rigid control of the manufacturing process> 5.of
an airship having the outer shape maintained by a fixed framework
• rigidlyadverb • rigidnessnoun
Synonyms:rigid, rigorous, strict, stringent mean extremely severe or
stern. rigid implies uncompromising inflexibility <rigid
rules of conduct>. rigorous implies the imposition of hardship and
difficulty <the rigorous training of recruits>. strict
emphasizes undeviating conformity to rules, standards, or requirements
<strict enforcement of the law>. stringent suggests
severe, tight restriction or limitation <stringent standards
of admission>. Synonym:see in additionstiff.
rigid adj. 1 not flexible; that cannot be bent (a rigid frame). 2 (of a person, conduct, etc.) inflexible, unbending, strict, harsh, punctilious (a rigid disciplinarian; rigid
economy). Derivatives: rigidity n. rigidly adv. rigidness n. Etymology: F rigide or L rigidus f. rigere be stiff
rigid
1. Laws, rules, or systems that are rigid cannot be changed or varied, and are therefore
considered to be rather severe.
Several colleges in our study have rigid rules about student conduct...≠ flexible
ADJ [disapproval]
• rigidity...the rigidity of government policy.N-UNCOUNT
• rigidlyThe caste system was rigidly enforced.ADV: ADV with v
2. If you disapprove of someone because you think they are not willing to change their way of
thinking or behaving, you can describe them as rigid.
She was a fairly rigid person who had strong religious views...ADJ [disapproval]
3. A rigid substance or object is stiff and does not bend, stretch, or twist easily.
...rigid plastic containers...≠ flexible
ADJ
• rigidity...the strength and rigidity of glass.N-UNCOUNT
rigid
ˈrɪdʒɪd adj. 1 not flexible; that cannot be bent (a rigid frame). 2
(of a person, conduct, etc.) inflexible, unbending, strict, harsh, punctilious
(a rigid disciplinarian; rigid economy). øørigidity n. rigidly adv. rigidness
n. [F rigide or L rigidus f. rigere be stiff]
Rigid \Rig"id\, a. [L. rigidus, fr. rigere to be stiff or numb:
cf. F. rigide. Cf. Rigor. ]
1. Firm; stiff; unyielding; not pliant; not flexible.
Upright beams innumerable Of rigid spears. --Milton.
2. Hence, not lax or indulgent; severe; inflexible; strict;
as, a rigid father or master; rigid discipline; rigid
criticism; a rigid sentence.
The more rigid order of principles in religion and
government. --Hawthorne.
Syn: Stiff; unpliant; inflexible; unyielding; strict; exact;
severe; austere; stern; rigorous; unmitigated.
rigid
ˈrɪdʒɪd adj.
1 stiff, unbending, unbendable, firm, hard, strong: Are those brackets rigid enough to
support such a heavy shelf?
2 inflexible, inelastic, unyielding, undeviating, unalterable, set, firm, hard, adamant,
hard-line, unbending, adamantine, steely, iron, strong, uncompromising, rigorous, unrelenting,
intransigent, stringent, severe, strict, rigorous, stern, harsh, austere: Frank is known to
favour rigid discipline in the classroom.
3 rigorous, exact, precise, unwavering, unqualified, unswerving, undeviating, demanding,
strict, hard and fast, literal, nice, close, thorough, scrupulous, careful, conscientious,
painstaking, meticulous, punctilious, exacting, strait-laced: Rigid observance of the regulations
produced the desired results. Pinwell's rigid parsimony met little favour from his family.
4 obstinate, stubborn, pigheaded, inflexible, immovable, adamant, adamantine, fixed, set,
obdurate, wilful, headstrong, dogged, persevering, determined, resolute, steadfast, resolved,
tenacious, relentless, unrelenting, uncompromising, unadaptable, mulish, close-minded: Candida
remained rigid in her opposition to birth control.
On most web browsers you can double click any word on this page to see what definitions I have for that word.
This dictionary server is not an authoratative source of information for anything. Like almost everything at sorabji.com, I set this up for my own purposes. In this case the purpose is to
browse words and ideas at random. An automatically generated page that produces 1000 Random Words
is my gateway to this resource. I also attempt a word of the day project,
in which I attempt to write something about myself starting with interesting words that I find through the Wordswarm Random Words Pages. I have made
available the complete 1828 Webster's Dictionary, which many feel is the greatest English dictionary ever published.
Other random links of mine include the Sorabji.com Random Link, which sends you to one of
over 7,000 pages on my web sites; the Face Server produces random images of
human faces; clicking the Random WAYD link shows you a random posting to my "What Are You Doing?" board; the Random USPS
Mailbox link sends you to a page with information about a random mailbox; and the random pictures page page of sorabji.com shows one of over 11,000 random images any time you load the page. On an unrelated note, I have begun making several thousand pages of legal documents searchable.