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 Lear
Examples 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
Proficiency on the national exam means students have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, usually with a rigor that exceeds what most states consider grade-level achievement.
—Jacob Turcotte, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Jan. 2025
There was an empty reservoir in Los Angeles County, overgrown state forests, under-resourced fire departments, mismanaged water and political dysfunction — a steady stream of evidence that the state and the county had failed to guard against a wildfire with the same rigor as the Vogts had.
—Eli Saslow, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
As this is about the practice of programming, this has been a fundamentally qualitative process that is hard to write about with quantitative rigor.
—Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2025
Even the order of events succumbs to the rigors of quantum reference frames.
—Anil Ananthaswamy, WIRED, 29 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rigor 
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Jacob Turcotte, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Jan. 2025
There was an empty reservoir in Los Angeles County, overgrown state forests, under-resourced fire departments, mismanaged water and political dysfunction — a steady stream of evidence that the state and the county had failed to guard against a wildfire with the same rigor as the Vogts had.
—Eli Saslow, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
As this is about the practice of programming, this has been a fundamentally qualitative process that is hard to write about with quantitative rigor.
—Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2025
Even the order of events succumbs to the rigors of quantum reference frames.
—Anil Ananthaswamy, WIRED, 29 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rigor
Articles Related to rigor
Dictionary Entries Near rigor
Cite this Entry
“Rigor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rigor. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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