rigor

rig·or | \ ˈri-gər

Definition of rigor

1a(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

(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

(3) : severity of life : austerity … a moral rigor and growth that might help this country.— 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

2 : 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.

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

5a obsolete : rigidity, stiffness

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

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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 The rigors of fasting have birthed a range of social customs. — Ben Hubbard, New York Times, "A Ramadan Like No Other: Images From Around the World," 25 Apr. 2020 Yair Lapid, a former journalist and senior figure in Blue and White, said the rigors of a long campaign have made Gantz a more mature candidate. — Washington Post, "Benny Gantz had two shots to oust Israel’s Netanyahu. He hopes the third time is the charm.," 10 Feb. 2020 Because rigor in politics is waning, the old disciplines are not holding, old responsibilities are being thrown off. — Peggy Noonan, WSJ, "The Democrats’ Unserious Week," 6 Feb. 2020 The Hawks haven’t had to turn to the IceHogs often, but now that the rigors of an NHL season are starting to take their toll the Rockford pipeline likely will be more active. — Jimmy Greenfield, chicagotribune.com, "Blackhawks have started dipping into their pipeline for reinforcements. Who might be the next up from the Rockford IceHogs?," 28 Nov. 2019 Instructional excellence, scholarly rigor and continuous improvement are key values in our commitment to both our students and to the State of Minnesota. — Letter Writers, Twin Cities, "Letters: St. Paul College addressing problems, holds firm to standards of excellence," 18 Nov. 2019 Researchers have also looked to privately run surveys, which have more up-to-date data, but lack the same methodological rigor and history as the government data. — Dan Kopf, Quartz, "Three key concepts for interpreting data in the age of coronavirus," 25 Apr. 2020 And despite the sheer number of scientists involved in these efforts, the scientific method requires a rigor that can only be sped up so much. — NBC News, "Scientists, under pressure, try to balance speed and safety on coronavirus vaccine research," 21 Mar. 2020 The inclination to trade off rigor for the sake of speed appears at every level of research. — Christie Aschwanden, Wired, "Stop Getting So Excited About ‘Preliminary’ Findings," 24 Apr. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rigor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.