as in hardships
something that is a cause for suffering or special effort especially in the attainment of a goal
hard-bitten folk who survived many rigors on the way to the promised land
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Recent Examples of rigors
The captain of Team Canada is familiar with the Olympics and with the rigors of best-on-best international play.
—
Josh Yohe, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
While the rigors of zero-g have been well researched on the International Space Station, the challenges of living in lower gravity, such as that found on the moon and Mars, has not yet been explored.
—Space.com Staff, Space.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Just like Eddie Bauer, those mountaineers in the ’90s wanted a jacket with excellent warmth-to-weight ratio that could also handle the rigors of climbing.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 4 Feb. 2026
Hardening off, or the process of gradually acclimating young seedlings to the rigors of growing outdoors, is essential for tomatoes.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Jan. 2026
At 6-3, 206 pounds, Moore needs to add more weight and muscle to survive the rigors of the NFL game.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
After capitalizing on one of the nation’s top homecourt advantages for their 15th straight win in the O’Dome, the Gators shift focus to the rigors of the road and their longest trip for an SEC game against an Oklahoma squad that has gone 8-0 in Norman.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2026
While stars and filmmakers this season tried to cope candidly with questioners, their impact was nonetheless inhibited by the rigors of Oscar rules.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
Ultimately, Paul feels the rigors of being an in-ring performer may have been too much for Scott to handle.
—Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Josh Yohe, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
While the rigors of zero-g have been well researched on the International Space Station, the challenges of living in lower gravity, such as that found on the moon and Mars, has not yet been explored.
—Space.com Staff, Space.com, 7 Feb. 2026
Just like Eddie Bauer, those mountaineers in the ’90s wanted a jacket with excellent warmth-to-weight ratio that could also handle the rigors of climbing.
—Graham Averill, Outside, 4 Feb. 2026
Hardening off, or the process of gradually acclimating young seedlings to the rigors of growing outdoors, is essential for tomatoes.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Jan. 2026
At 6-3, 206 pounds, Moore needs to add more weight and muscle to survive the rigors of the NFL game.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2026
After capitalizing on one of the nation’s top homecourt advantages for their 15th straight win in the O’Dome, the Gators shift focus to the rigors of the road and their longest trip for an SEC game against an Oklahoma squad that has gone 8-0 in Norman.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2026
While stars and filmmakers this season tried to cope candidly with questioners, their impact was nonetheless inhibited by the rigors of Oscar rules.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
Ultimately, Paul feels the rigors of being an in-ring performer may have been too much for Scott to handle.
—Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rigors
Noun
-
The hardships sparked mass emigration and economic collapse, leaving an even deeper mark — one that still surfaces in quiet dinners with strangers like us.—
Marlise Kast-Myers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
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The hardships awaiting these Palestinians in a devastated homeland may outweigh the trials of their journey.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Just as enterprising librarians and archivists met the difficulties of their day with novel solutions, now a new generation looked for ways to adapt to the overflow.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Feb. 2026
-
On Friday, Hoda Kotb, who co-anchored TODAY with Savannah from 2017 until January 2025, returned to the show to talk about the worry the team feels for their friend, and all the times Savannah has been there for them while facing their own difficulties.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rigors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rigors. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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