1
a(1)
: harsh inflexibility in opinion, temper, or judgment : severity
The least one might observe is that this muddle of moralism and laxity, extreme rigor and casual permissiveness, arduous altruism and nonchalant selfishness, has consequences.—
Peter Berkowitz
Peter Berkowitz
(2)
: the quality of being unyielding or inflexible : strictness
Their abandonment of this terminology is part of an effort to soften the rigor of some of the rigid consequences thought to flow from the mechanical application of this dichotomy.—John D. Calamari and Joseph M. Perillo
John D. Calamari and Joseph M. Perillo
(3)
: severity of life : austerity
… a moral rigor and growth that might help this country.—Stanley Kauffmann
Stanley Kauffmann
b
: an act or instance of strictness, severity, or cruelty
… the humanist must recognize the normality, the practical necessity of the very rigors he is trying to soften and correct.—Hermann J. Muller
Hermann J. Muller2
: a tremor caused by a chill
This young woman presented at the hospital with severe abdominal pain and signs of infection, including fever, rigor, and leukocytosis.—Robert E. Scully et al.
Robert E. Scully et al.3
: a condition that makes life difficult, challenging, or uncomfortable
especially
: extremity of cold
the rigors of a New England winter
4
: strict precision : exactness
logical rigor
Tentatively one might suggest that what characterizes science is the rigor of its methodology …—Ernst Mayr
Ernst Mayr5
b
: rigidness or torpor of organs or tissue that prevents response to stimuli
c
: rigor mortis
A fish has its best flavor and texture when cooked while just coming out of rigor.—Jane Daniels Lear
Jane Daniels LearExamples of rigor in a Sentence
They underwent the rigors of military training.
the rigors of life in the wilderness
They conducted the experiments with scientific rigor.
a scholar known for her intellectual rigor
Recent Examples on the Web
On the other hand, the abrupt reversal could cause reputational damage if it’s seen as over-promising or sidestepping regulatory rigor.
—Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
The school scores high in diversity of the student body, college prep, quality of teachers and academic rigor.
—Charlie Finnerty, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
In such a situation, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company is entering a quiet revolution in prescription botanical medicine, one that combines the best of nature with the rigor of pharmaceutical science.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 30 June 2025
The search for extraterrestrial life is not held to a higher standard of scientific rigor but it is constrained by an inability to independently detect and attribute multiple lines of evidence.
—Oliver Swainston, Space.com, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rigor
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Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025
The school scores high in diversity of the student body, college prep, quality of teachers and academic rigor.
—Charlie Finnerty, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
In such a situation, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company is entering a quiet revolution in prescription botanical medicine, one that combines the best of nature with the rigor of pharmaceutical science.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 30 June 2025
The search for extraterrestrial life is not held to a higher standard of scientific rigor but it is constrained by an inability to independently detect and attribute multiple lines of evidence.
—Oliver Swainston, Space.com, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rigor
Cite this Entry
“Rigor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rigor. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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