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Definition of "rugged" []

  • Having a rough irregular surface. See Synonyms at rough. (adjective)
  • Having strong features marked with furrows or wrinkles: the rugged face of the old sailor. (adjective)
  • Having a sturdy build or strong constitution: a rugged trapper who spent months in the wilderness. (adjective)
  • Tempestuous; stormy: the rugged weather of the North Atlantic. (adjective)
  • Demanding great effort, ability, or endurance: the rugged conditions of barracks life. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "rugged" in a sentence
  • "So you really do need this air support, because, you know, obviously, you are up in the mountains here in what you describe as a rugged area."
  • "He had what she called a rugged, honest Scotch face, with a very big nose in the middle of it, and little grey eyes overhung by brown and shaggy eyebrows."
  • "I believe in rugged individualism and that no one owes me anything just because I live and breathe."