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
• hurdle
• asperity
• trial
• discomfort
• inconvenience
• obstruction
• tragedy
• tribulation
• interference
• impediment
• nuisance
• inhibition
• misfortune
• hindrance
• embarrassment
• 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
• gruffness
• resolve
• 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

And that rigor comes from the fact, another sort of underappreciated fact, is that science and a scientific idea—there’s the content of the idea and there’s the context of the idea. — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

The lab coat over the turtleneck seemed to him like a message about scientific rigor. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026

Altman said the incident illustrated how developers need to treat AI models with a new level of rigor on safety and monitoring. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

Rather than mine the archive wholesale, Icons reduces recognizable Borgo signatures to their foundations, preserving the rigor while shifting their expression. — Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026