Adjacent Words

Rugged definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

RUG'GED, a. [from the root of rug, rough, which see.]
1. Rough; full of asperities on the surface; broken into sharp or irregular points or crags, or otherwise uneven; as a rugged mountain; a rugged road.
2. Uneven; not neat or regular.
His well proportion'd beard made rough and rugged.
3. Rough in temper; harsh; hard; crabbed; austere.
4. Stormy; turbulent; tempestuous; as rugged weather; a rugged season.
5. Rough to the ear; harsh; grating; as a rugged verse in poetry; rugged prose.
6. Sour; surly; frowning; wrinkled; as rugged looks.
7. Violent; rude; boisterous.
8. Rough; shaggy; as a rugged bear.
9. In botany, scabrous; rough with tubercles or stiff points; as a leaf or stem.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring; "with a house full of boys you have to have rugged furniture" [ant: delicate]
2: having long narrow shallow depressions (as grooves or wrinkles) in the surface; "furrowed fields"; "his furrowed face lit by a warming smile" [syn: furrowed, rugged] [ant: unfurrowed]
3: topographically very uneven; "broken terrain"; "rugged ground" [syn: broken, rugged]
4: very difficult; severely testing stamina or resolution; "a rugged competitive examination"; "the rugged conditions of frontier life"; "the competition was tough"; "it's a tough life"; "it was a tough job" [syn: rugged, tough]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle English *rug Date: 14th century 1. obsolete shaggy, hairy 2. having a rough uneven surface ; jagged <rugged mountains> 3. turbulent, stormy <rugged weather> 4. a. seamed with wrinkles and furrows ; weathered — used of a human face b. showing facial signs of strength <rugged good looks> 5. a. austere, stern b. coarse, rude c. rough and strong in character 6. a. presenting a severe test of ability, stamina, or resolution b. strongly built or constituted ; robust <those that survive are stalwart, rugged men — L. D. Stamp> Synonyms: see rough • ruggedly adverb • ruggedness noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 (of ground or terrain) having a rough uneven surface. 2 (of features) strongly marked; irregular in outline. 3 a unpolished; lacking gentleness or refinement (rugged grandeur). b harsh in sound. c austere, unbending (rugged honesty). d involving hardship (a rugged life). 4 (esp. of a machine) robust, sturdy. Derivatives: ruggedly adv. ruggedness n. Etymology: ME, prob. f. Scand.: cf. RUG, and Sw. rugga, roughen

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rugged Rug"ged, a. [See Rug, n.] 1. Full of asperities on the surface; broken into sharp or irregular points, or otherwise uneven; not smooth; rough; as, a rugged mountain; a rugged road. The rugged bark of some broad elm. --Milton. 2. Not neat or regular; uneven. His well-proportioned beard made rough and rugged. --Shak. 3. Rough with bristles or hair; shaggy. ``The rugged Russian bear.'' --Shak. 4. Harsh; hard; crabbed; austere; -- said of temper, character, and the like, or of persons. Neither melt nor endear him, but leave him as hard, rugged, and unconcerned as ever. --South. 5. Stormy; turbulent; tempestuous; rude. --Milton. 6. Rough to the ear; harsh; grating; -- said of sound, style, and the like. Through the harsh cadence of a rugged line. --Dryden. 7. Sour; surly; frowning; wrinkled; -- said of looks, etc. ``Sleek o'er your rugged looks.'' --Shak. 8. Violent; rude; boisterrous; -- said of conduct, manners, etc. 9. Vigorous; robust; hardy; -- said of health, physique, etc. [Colloq. U.S.] Syn: Rough; uneven; wrinkled; cragged; coarse; rude; harsh; hard; crabbed; severe; austere; surly; sour; frowning; violent; boisterous; tumultuous; turbulent; stormy; tempestuous; inclement. -- Rug"ged*ly, adv. -- Rug"ged*ness, n.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. A rugged area of land is uneven and covered with rocks, with few trees or plants. (LITERARY) ...rugged mountainous terrain. ADJ: usu ADJ n • ruggedly ...a ruggedly beautiful wilderness. ADV: ADV adj • ruggedness The island's ruggedness symbolises our history and the character of the people. N-UNCOUNT 2. If you describe a man as rugged, you mean that he has strong, masculine features. (LITERARY) A look of pure disbelief crossed Shankly's rugged face. ADJ: usu ADJ n [approval] • ruggedly He was six feet tall and ruggedly handsome. ADV: ADV adj, ADV -ed 3. If you describe someone's character as rugged, you mean that they are strong and determined, and have the ability to cope with difficult situations. Rugged individualism forged America's frontier society. ADJ: usu ADJ n [approval] 4. A rugged piece of equipment is strong and is designed to last a long time, even if it is treated roughly. The camera combines rugged reliability with unequalled optical performance and speed. ADJ • ruggedness The body is 90% titanium for ruggedness.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Rough, craggy, cragged, uneven, irregular, scraggy. 2. Uneven, ragged, coarse. 3. Rough, bristly, shaggy. 4. Rough, harsh, crabbed, austere, hard, rude, severe. 5. Tempestuous, turbulent, stormy, rude, boisterous, inclement. 6. Harsh, inharmonious, grating, unmusical, scabrous. 7. Wrinkled, frowning, surly, sour, discomposed, ruffled. 8. Rude, boisterous, violent, tumultuous.

Moby Thesaurus

Herculean, Spartan, Spartanic, abstruse, adamantine, arduous, asperous, astringent, austere, authoritarian, beefy, bitter, bold, bouncing, brawny, broken, brutal, bulky, bumpy, burdensome, burly, churlish, clownish, cockled, cockly, complex, corrugate, corrugated, cragged, craggy, creased, crimped, crimpy, crinkled, crinkly, critical, crude, crumpled, delicate, demanding, dense, difficile, difficult, doughty, dour, dry, durable, enduring, exacting, exigent, firm, flush, forceful, forcible, forcy, formidable, full-blooded, full-strength, furrowed, grating, gravelly, grim, gutsy, gutty, hairy, hale, hale and hearty, hard, hard as nails, hard-earned, hard-fought, hardy, harsh, hearty, heavy, hefty, hoarse, husky, ill-bred, inclement, independent, individualistic, intemperate, intricate, iron-hard, ironbound, irregular, jagged, jaggy, jarring, jawbreaking, knitted, knotted, knotty, laborious, lasting, loutish, lubberly, lumpish, lusty, massive, mean, meticulous, mighty, muscular, nervy, no picnic, not easy, obstinate, onerous, operose, pitted, potent, powerful, puckered, puckery, puissant, pursed, pursy, ragged, rasping, raucous, red-blooded, ridged, rigorous, rimpled, rippled, robust, robustious, robustuous, rockbound, rocky, rough, rough-and-ready, rucked, rude, rugose, rugous, rumpled, saw-toothed, sawtooth, scabrous, scragged, scraggly, scraggy, self-confident, self-reliant, self-sufficient, serrate, serrated, set with thorns, severe, snagged, snaggled, snaggy, solid, sound, spiny, stable, stalwart, steady, steely, steep, stern, stony, stout, strapping, strenuous, strict, stridulous, stringent, strong, strong as brandy, strong as strong, strong-willed, sturdy, thorny, ticklish, toilsome, tough, tricky, uncivilized, uncouth, uncultured, uneven, ungentle, ungraceful, unlevel, unpolished, unrefined, unsmooth, unsparing, unyielding, uphill, vigorous, vital, well-built, well-constructed, well-founded, well-grounded, well-made, wicked, wrinkled, wrinkly