rigidity

noun

ri·​gid·​i·​ty rə-ˈji-də-tē 

plural rigidities

1

: the quality or state of being rigid

2

: one that is rigid (as in form or conduct)

Synonyms

• exactingness
• hardness
• harshness
• inflexibility
• rigidness
• rigor
• rigorousness
• severity
• sternness
• strictness
• stringency

Examples of rigidity in a Sentence

sometimes the rigidity of the headmaster's discipline was deemed excessive by even much of the faculty

Recent Examples on the Web

In a primetime interview with Today host Hoda Kotb on Tuesday, Dion was candid about her struggles with stiff person syndrome, the rare, progressive neurological disorder that causes muscle rigidity, spasms, mobility issues, and shortness of breath. —Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 12 June 2024

But, over time, the rigidity and technical focus of the B.U. program began to chafe. —Holden Seidlitz, The New Yorker, 10 June 2024

For what Putin appears to want is a new legitimacy based on much older ones: not the ideological rigidities of Marxism-Leninism, but the murkier and more malleable legacies of tsarist imperialism, Russian nationalism, and an almost medieval religious orthodoxy. —John Lewis Gaddis, Foreign Affairs, 7 June 2024

Gosling voices the film’s thought-provoking questions about victimization and villainy with full commitment, and his rigidity — that tall posture, those limitless eyes — add another layer to the work. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Medical Definition

rigidity

noun

ri·​gid·​i·​ty rə-ˈjid-ət-ē 

plural rigidities

: the quality or state of being rigid: as

a

: abnormal stiffness of muscle

muscle rigidity symptomatic of Parkinson's disease

—Diane Gershon

b

: emotional inflexibility and resistance to change