rugged
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English rugged, roggyd, ruggyd, derived from Old Norse rǫgg (“tuft, shagginess”), equivalent to rug (“rough, woollen material”) + -ed. Compare Old Swedish ruggoter (“wrinkled”), Swedish rugga (“to roughen”), Swedish ruggig (“shaggy”), Icelandic rögg (“shagginess”), Old Norse raggaðr (“tufted”), dialectal Danish raggad (“shaggy”).
Pronunciation
- rŭ-gĭd, IPA(key): /ˈɹʌɡɪd/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ʌɡɪd
Adjective
rugged (comparative ruggeder, superlative ruggedest)
- Broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven; not smooth; rough.
- 1870–1871 (date written), Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter LXV, in Roughing It, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company [et al.], published 1872, →OCLC:
- By and by, after a rugged climb, we halted on the summit of a hill which commanded a far-reaching view.
- Not neat or regular; irregular, uneven.
- 2011, Ronke Luke-Boone, African Fabrics: Sewing Contemporary Fashion with Ethic Flair:
- Commercially produced yarn, such as rayon, produces a cloth with a smoother, shinier look than hand-spun cotton, but the uneven, rugged look of hand-spun cotton can be quite appealing.
- Rough with bristly hair; shaggy.
- 1897, Kate Chopin, A Morning Walk:
- His hair was light and rather thin; his face strong and rugged from exposure, and his eyes narrow and observant.
- (of a person) Strong, sturdy, well-built.
- 2010, Arthur Queen Jr., Young Man: Ageless Fatherly Wisdom to Hold:
- Many women and men delude themselves into thinking that only the hardest and most rugged man is attractive and to many it may be the case.
- (of land) Rocky and bare of plantlife.
- 2013, Vicky Baker, The Guardian, Riding with the cowboys on a Mexico ranch:
- Hidden within 30,000 acres of rugged private land, the ranch is cocooned by peaks and canyons in all directions.
- 1971, United States Forest Service, Search for solitude: our wilderness heritage:
- Much of the area can be seen only by hikers who travel without trails to the higher reaches of this rugged mountain range.
- (of temper, character, or people) Harsh; austere; hard
- Synonym: crabbed
- (of weather) Stormy; turbulent; tempestuous
- Synonym: rude
- (of sound, style etc.) Harsh; grating; unpleasant sounding or looking
- (of looks, appearance etc.) Sour; surly; frowning; wrinkled
- 1908, Rafael Sabatini, The Abduction:
- "Ah!" sighed the unimaginative Granby, and his honest, rugged face grew clouded. Pepper puffed in silence for a moment or two; then spoke.
- (of behaviour) Violent; rude; boisterous
- (of health, physique etc.) Vigorous; robust; hardy
- 1909, Jack London, Martin Eden:
- "Her gaze rested for a moment on the muscular neck, heavy corded, almost bull-like, bronzed by the sun, spilling over with rugged health and strength..."
- (computing, of a computer) Designed to reliably operate in harsh usage environments and conditions.
Derived terms
Translations
broken into sharp points
|
not neat or regular
|
rough with bristles
|
strong, sturdy, well-built
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harsh, austere
stormy, turbulent
|
harsh, grating
violent, rude
Further reading
- “rugged”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “rugged”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
Pronunciation
- rŭgd, IPA(key): /ɹʌɡd/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- Rhymes: -ʌɡd
Adjective
rugged (not comparable)
- Having a rug or rugs.
- Covered with a rug.
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