Synonyms of rugged

rugged

adjective

ˈrə-gəd 

1

as in sturdy

able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure

a rugged construction that survived for hundreds of years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sturdy
• hardy
• strong
• tough
• stout
• hardened
• durable
• vigorous
• robust
• cast-iron
• healthy
• toughened
• hard-bitten
• hard
• resilient
• stable
• inured
• permanent
• staunch
• leathery
• thriving
• tenacious
• flinty
• enduring
• muscular
• stalwart
• lasting
• unyielding
• brawny
• everlasting
• immortal
• fortified
• virile
• staying
• imperishable
• flourishing
• husky
• fit
• sound
• tempered
• hale
• seasoned
• able-bodied
• lusty
• prospering
• strapping
• annealed
• red-blooded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• soft
• weak
• delicate
• worn
• tender
• fragile
• weakened
• emasculated
• enfeebled
• wasted
• exhausted
• diseased
• sensitive
• infirm
• vulnerable
• unsound
• frail
• debilitated
• crippled
• puny
• incapacitated
• susceptible
• nonhardy
• worn-out
• enervated
• temporary
• run-down
• transient
• sapped
• yielding
• resistless
• perishable
• mortal
• unresistant

2

as in tough

difficult to endure

the incredibly rugged conditions that the polar explorers faced

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tough
• harsh
• rough
• searing
• oppressive
• brutal
• hard
• severe
• grim
• heavy
• trying
• cruel
• bleak
• burdensome
• murderous
• onerous
• bitter
• stiff
• painful
• inhuman
• grievous
• excruciating
• inhospitable
• rigorous
• uncomfortable
• strict
• austere
• hardhanded
• spartan
• stringent
• inclement
• wild
• unpleasant
• forbidding
• unbearable
• comfortless
• hostile
• bad
• crushing
• overwhelming
• intemperate
• discomforting
• agonizing
• tortuous
• biting
• wretched
• insufferable
• wearing
• grinding
• heartbreaking
• intolerable
• unfriendly
• harrowing
• disagreeable
• unendurable
• insupportable
• heartrending

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• soft
• light
• comfortable
• luxurious
• cozy
• friendly
• pleasant
• hospitable
• agreeable
• peaceful
• genial
• restful
• gentle
• mild
• relaxing
• snug
• moderate
• tolerable
• calm
• temperate
• painless
• bearable
• reposeful
• balmy
• endurable
• clement

3

as in gruff

harsh and threatening in manner or appearance

the warrior's rugged features frightened the child

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gruff
• fierce
• intimidating
• grim
• stern
• hostile
• rough
• bleak
• forbidding
• severe
• hardened
• stark
• austere
• flinty
• steely
• cold
• dour
• stubborn
• dark
• lowering
• somber
• solemn
• ungentle
• black
• inhospitable
• determined
• resolute
• rigid
• stiff
• steadfast
• uncompromising
• moody
• unflinching
• unfriendly
• bound
• adamant
• purposeful
• inimical
• unyielding
• unsympathetic
• serious
• unrelenting
• implacable
• hard
• obstinate
• unbending
• hardheaded
• inflexible
• immovable
• obdurate
• resolved
• fixed
• willful
• firm
• immutable
• unchangeable
• sullen
• intent
• cheerless
• brooding
• surly
• sulky
• melancholy
• melancholic
• gloomy
• morose
• mulish
• unsmiling
• sober
• staid
• humorless
• joyless
• set
• weighty
• glum
• grave
• ironhanded
• self-willed
• sobersided

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gentle
• mild
• soft
• benign
• easy
• quiet
• tender
• meek
• bland
• soothing
• mellow
• benignant
• tranquil
• sweet
• pleasant
• bright
• cheerful
• agreeable
• nonintimidating
• pleasing
• sunny
• happy
• inviting
• playful
• merry
• lighthearted
• glad
• goofy
• silly
• frivolous
• mirthful
• giddy
• harebrained
• flighty
• scatterbrained
• featherbrained
• light-headed

4

as in muscular

having muscles capable of exerting great physical force

a rugged athlete who's competing in weight lifting in the Olympics

Synonyms & Similar Words

• muscular
• strong
• powerful
• mighty
• stout
• sturdy
• brawny
• masculine
• sinewy
• athletic
• tough
• stalwart
• potent
• hard
• burly
• beefy
• robust
• fit
• energetic
• trim
• forceful
• healthy
• forcible
• husky
• vigorous
• virile
• strengthened
• sound
• strapping
• puissant
• able-bodied
• hale
• lusty
• toughened
• energized
• hearty
• vitalized
• inured
• red-blooded
• invigorated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weak
• feeble
• delicate
• frail
• disabled
• wimpy
• small
• incapacitated
• paralyzed
• weakling
• powerless
• impotent
• unfit
• puny
• slight
• unhealthy
• unathletic

5

as in jagged

not having a level or smooth surface

rugged terrain that made for slow going

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jagged
• uneven
• rough
• broken
• ragged
• coarse
• irregular
• wavy
• pebbly
• bumpy
• roughened
• lumpy
• scraggy
• harsh
• rutted
• unbalanced
• undulating
• lopsided
• pitted
• knobby
• inexact
• pocked
• undulatory
• unaligned
• knurled
• scraggly
• knobbly
• nubby
• scratchy
• rutty
• nonuniform
• sandpapery
• nubbly
• burred
• knurly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• smooth
• flat
• uniform
• true
• level
• regular
• even
• exact
• vertical
• aligned
• plane
• horizontal
• straight
• tabular
• plumb
• flush

6

as in difficult

requiring considerable physical or mental effort

even more rugged than most ultramarathons, this one crosses a desert

Synonyms & Similar Words

• difficult
• challenging
• tough
• rigorous
• formidable
• hard
• demanding
• rough
• heavy
• complicated
• tall
• sweaty
• arduous
• strenuous
• intricate
• severe
• killer
• grueling
• testing
• effortful
• complex
• laborious
• stiff
• murderous
• exacting
• uphill
• backbreaking
• exhausting
• painful
• herculean
• toilsome
• serious
• elusive
• stubborn
• pick-and-shovel
• brutal
• grim
• hairy
• problematic
• hellacious
• annoying
• thorny
• abstract
• oppressive
• tight
• spiny
• insoluble
• bruising
• tricky
• knotty
• troublesome
• involved
• opaque
• abstruse
• stressful
• recondite
• strict
• Augean
• moiling
• burdensome
• onerous
• stringent
• ticklish
• labored
• irksome
• trying
• vexatious
• cruel
• bothersome
• distressing
• taxing
• inhuman
• grievous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• simple
• easy
• soft
• light
• cheap
• effortless
• clear
• undemanding
• facile
• mindless
• uncomplicated
• elementary
• manageable
• smooth
• achievable
• gentle
• doable
• soothing
• relaxed
• comforting
• friendly
• accessible
• painless
• user-friendly
• idiotproof

7

as in turbulent

marked by turmoil or disturbance especially of natural elements

New Hampshire's Mount Washington has some of the ruggedest weather in all of North America

Synonyms & Similar Words

• turbulent
• rough
• wild
• brutal
• harsh
• tumultuous
• stormy
• bleak
• tempestuous
• violent
• severe
• blustery
• raging
• unsettled
• inclement
• raw
• blustering
• nasty
• roily
• unquiet
• squally

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• quiet
• peaceful
• serene
• calm
• tranquil
• placid
• clear
• bright
• sunny
• fair
• halcyon
• cloudless
• unclouded
• sunshiny
• clement

8

as in crass

lacking in refinement or good taste

the kind of rugged humor that men have traditionally enjoyed at stag parties

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crass
• vulgar
• rude
• coarse
• common
• rough
• crude
• rough-hewn
• unpolished
• clumsy
• gross
• raffish
• low
• unrefined
• uncouth
• uncultivated
• uncultured
• tasteless
• lowbrow
• roughneck
• rustic
• insensible
• illiberal
• lowbred
• incult
• ill-bred
• boorish
• clownish
• loutish
• unsophisticated
• cloddish
• ungentlemanly
• churlish
• countrified
• provincial
• oafish
• lumpish
• insensitive
• thoughtless
• lubberly
• uncivilized
• indelicate
• inconsiderate
• inelegant
• tacky
• barbaric
• barbarous
• unmannered
• graceless
• unmannerly
• animallike
• mannerless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• smooth
• polished
• civilized
• refined
• cultured
• cultivated
• tasteful
• genteel
• aristocratic
• elegant
• graceful
• patrician
• sensitive
• courtly
• well-bred
• restrained
• sophisticated
• thoughtful
• ultrarefined
• gracious
• considerate
• urbane
• citified

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective rugged contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of rugged are harsh, rough, scabrous, and uneven. While all these words mean "not smooth or even," rugged implies irregularity or roughness of land surface and connotes difficulty of travel.

a rugged landscape

When would harsh be a good substitute for rugged?

The meanings of harsh and rugged largely overlap; however, harsh implies a surface or texture distinctly unpleasant to the touch.

a harsh fabric that chafes the skin

When might rough be a better fit than rugged?

The words rough and rugged are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rough implies points, bristles, ridges, or projections on the surface.

a rough wooden board

When can scabrous be used instead of rugged?

The synonyms scabrous and rugged are sometimes interchangeable, but scabrous implies scaliness or prickliness of surface.

a scabrous leaf

When is it sensible to use uneven instead of rugged?

While the synonyms uneven and rugged are close in meaning, uneven implies a lack of uniformity in height, breadth, or quality.

an old house with uneven floors

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rugged

For this polar adventure, all gear must be carried to remote and rugged camps, necessitating vigorous training beforehand that focuses on stamina and strength. —Wendy Altschuler, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026

Seattle carried that success to the regular season, winning the rugged NFC West and then advancing to Super Bowl LX on Sunday with a 31-27 win over the Rams. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2026

The man sitting in front of me—rugged, with a fine Rockwell Kent profile—tips forward and begins to emit gentle, bleating snores. —James Parker, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026

View gallery - 5 images Until just a couple of years ago, the rugged phone category was almost exclusively about military-grade durability and water resistance for use in the field. —Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 26 Jan. 2026