Synonyms of rigor

rigor

noun

ˈri-gər 

1

as in hardship

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hardship
• difficulty
• hardness
• obstacle
• adversity
• asperity
• trial
• hurdle
• discomfort
• inconvenience
• obstruction
• tragedy
• tribulation
• interference
• impediment
• nuisance
• inhibition
• misfortune
• embarrassment
• hindrance
• let
• encumbrance
• deterrent
• mishap
• affliction
• chain
• rub
• handicap
• shackle
• hitch
• catch
• knock
• snag
• stop
• crimp
• clog
• trammel
• manacle
• block
• pons asinorum
• hump
• check
• bar
• fetter

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• opportunity
• advantage
• break

2

as in severity

the quality or state of being demanding or unyielding (as in discipline or criticism)

after being coddled by his former coach, the swimmer was shocked by the rigor of the new training program

Synonyms & Similar Words

• severity
• rigidity
• strictness
• stringency
• inflexibility
• sternness
• rigidness
• hardness
• harshness
• rigorousness
• exactingness
• implacability
• callousness
• obduracy
• resolve
• gruffness
• steadfastness
• pitilessness
• determination
• monasticism
• firmness
• asceticism
• dourness
• obstinacy
• stubbornness
• hard-heartedness
• obdurateness
• austerity
• austereness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• flexibility
• gentleness
• tolerance
• patience
• tenderness
• softness
• indulgence
• kindness
• laxness
• forbearance
• responsiveness
• willingness
• mildness
• compliance
• lenience
• pliability
• pliancy

3

as in accuracy

the quality or state of being very accurate

said that she had heard that excuse a million times, but then she was never known for the rigor of her calculations

Synonyms & Similar Words

• accuracy
• precision
• preciseness
• perfection
• exactness
• exactitude
• fidelity
• definiteness
• veracity
• rigorousness
• truth
• nicety
• fineness
• definitiveness
• accurateness
• strictness
• delicacy
• closeness
• correctness
• ultraprecision
• rightness
• subtlety
• determinacy
• meticulousness
• fastidiousness
• carefulness
• definitude
• care
• persnicketiness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• roughness
• imprecision
• inaccuracy
• approximation
• coarseness
• roundness
• inexactness
• inexactitude
• wrongness
• falsity
• impreciseness
• carelessness
• incorrectness
• looseness
• falseness
• vagueness
• guesswork
• indefiniteness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rigor

That logistical rigor, proven over hundreds of large-scale projects, has earned the company trust as a partner capable of protecting timelines while preserving design intent. —Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025

Worthen told me that in the 16th and 17th centuries, this impulse led the Vatican to tighten up the scientific rigor of its miracle-vetting process in response to reports of levitating saints. —Kate Cray, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2025

Harriet De Wit, PhD, professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago, praised the rigor of the research. —Dr. Christian S. Monsalve, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2025

More Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images Kardashian's comments sparked debate, with some parents applauding her stance and others questioning whether less homework might come at the expense of academic rigor. —Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025