1
as in sturdy
able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure
a rugged construction that survived for hundreds of years
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2
as in tough
difficult to endure
the incredibly rugged conditions that the polar explorers faced
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3
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
the warrior's rugged features frightened the child
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4
as in muscular
having muscles capable of exerting great physical force
a rugged athlete who's competing in weight lifting in the Olympics
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5
as in jagged
not having a level or smooth surface
rugged terrain that made for slow going
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6
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
even more rugged than most ultramarathons, this one crosses a desert
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7
as in turbulent
marked by turmoil or disturbance especially of natural elements
New Hampshire's Mount Washington has some of the ruggedest weather in all of North America
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8
as in crass
lacking in refinement or good taste
the kind of rugged humor that men have traditionally enjoyed at stag parties
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rugged
Beginning with the aforementioned big trade for Hunter, the Cavs have added three players this month who are rugged, physical defenders on the wing, either by going outside the team to get them or, in Dean Wade’s case, activating him after a month-long bout with injury.
—
Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
His rugged masculine look combined with a velvet tuxedo jacket were perfectly reflected in the ultra-masculine chronograph Speedmaster dressed up in diamonds.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2025
The campaign was shot in settings reminiscent of the golden days of Hollywood and convey an era of rugged actors wearing Lee both on and off the silver screen.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 24 Feb. 2025
For American travelers, that could mean fewer crowds in Yosemite National Park’s iconic valleys, a more relaxed wine-tasting experience in Napa or quieter coastal hikes along Big Sur's rugged cliffs.
—Emese MacZko, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rugged
Joe Vardon, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025
His rugged masculine look combined with a velvet tuxedo jacket were perfectly reflected in the ultra-masculine chronograph Speedmaster dressed up in diamonds.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2025
The campaign was shot in settings reminiscent of the golden days of Hollywood and convey an era of rugged actors wearing Lee both on and off the silver screen.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 24 Feb. 2025
For American travelers, that could mean fewer crowds in Yosemite National Park’s iconic valleys, a more relaxed wine-tasting experience in Napa or quieter coastal hikes along Big Sur's rugged cliffs.
—Emese MacZko, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rugged
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rugged
Adjective
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Potassium helps produce sturdy plants and increases plants’ resistance to stress but overapplication of potassium (and too much of any nutrient) can cause other necessary nutrients to become unavailable to the plant.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Mar. 2025
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Rugs used on slippery surfaces such as wood and tile need to have sturdy backing made to hug the floor and grip it tightly.—
BestReviews,
The Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The New York Fed survey of consumer expectations showed respondents believe tougher economic conditions are ahead.—
Courtenay Brown,
Axios,
11 Mar. 2025
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Schneider wants to take calculated risks in free agency, but that can be tough to do when Seattle is one of many teams needing interior offensive upgrades.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
The Athletic,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The gruff but beloved Hackman was among the most accomplished actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.—
Susan Montoya Bryan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
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Ford’s actually relatively locked-in as the gruff but supportive Colonel Graff training the impressionable Ender (Asa Butterfield), who has to save the universe as all lads in these types of films tend to do.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Schumer also extended an invitation to Emma Larson, who received treatment for her spinal muscular atrophy due to a reimbursement from the National Institutes of Health, as well as Jessica Martinez and Ana Medina Garcia, recipients of Medicaid from New York.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
4 Mar. 2025
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Medicaid recipients Jessica Martinez and Ana Medina Garcia, cancer survivors and recipients of Medicaid, and Emma Larson, who received a lifesaving treatment for her spinal muscular atrophy due to a reimbursement from the National Institutes of Health, were also invited by Schumer.—
Nik Popli,
TIME,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Located on the historic Santa Barbara plantation, the jagged limestone peak is accessible at four different points with routes up to 164 feet high (50 meters), depending on your athletic ability.—
Curaçao Tourist Board,
AFAR Media,
26 Feb. 2025
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The image teases both the film’s narrative developments and its jagged formal approach, as the director (who shares editing duties with both co-writer Karen Plata and DP Odei Zabaleta) aims to structurally replicate the non-linear disorder and occasional blind spots of ruptured childhood memories.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The worst of this is during residency, where 80-plus hour work weeks, 24-plus hour shifts, and difficult on-call schedules are the norm.—
Christopher M. Worsham,
TIME,
7 Mar. 2025
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On the other hand lies the more difficult but ultimately more promising path: repudiation of that post-2008 legacy and a conscientious return to a politics of the prudential center.—
Newsweek,
Newsweek,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The turbulent decade that saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy’s and Martin Luther King’s assassination, and the Vietnam War meant that home viewers were more open to escapism and entertainment that would whisk them away from the world's horrors.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
11 Mar. 2025
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Outside of turbulent foreign relations, the election comes at a critical time in Hollywood as the entertainment industry faces unprecedented uncertainty due to AI and plummeting profits.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Trump teaches this crass behavior to his MAGA minions so that many Americans can no longer distinguish true from false, right from wrong, justice from injustice.—
Bob Kustra,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2025
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There’s not really any sort of crude, crass direction.—
Jon Pareles,
New York Times,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rugged. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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