rugged

adjective rug·ged \ ˈrə-gəd \

Updated on: 28 Nov 2017

Definition of rugged

1 obsolete : shaggy, hairy

2 : having a rough uneven surface : jagged

rugged mountains

3 : turbulent, stormy

rugged weather

4 a : seamed with wrinkles and furrows : weathered —used of a human face

b : showing facial signs of strength

rugged good looks

5 a : austere, stern

b : coarse, rude

c : rough and strong in character

6 a : presenting a severe test of ability, stamina, or resolution

b : strongly built or constituted : robust

those that survive are stalwart, rugged men
—L. D. Stamp

—

ruggedly

adverb

—

ruggedness

noun

See rugged defined for English-language learners

See rugged defined for kids

Examples of rugged in a Sentence

the rugged surface of the moon
She did a painting of the region's rugged coastline.
People are attracted to his rugged good looks.
I admire her rugged individualism.

Recent Examples of rugged from the Web

The easy course mimics a rugged Forest Service road and every vehicle aced it, even the X4 and Mini Countryman.

— tom voelk, The Seattle Times, "SUVs compete for Outdoor Activity Vehicle of the Year," 11 Sep. 2017
Meanwhile, a posse of hundreds of gun-toting cowboys, ranchers and Apache scouts scoured the rugged terrain on horseback.

— sam roberts, New York Times, "June Robles Birt, Whose Abduction at 6 Gripped the Nation, Is Dead at 87," 31 Oct. 2017
On the game show, celebs compete to see who can tough it out the longest in whatever rugged, rather unglamorous environment the producers are kind enough to pick.

— brie schwartz, Redbook, "The Brady Bunch's Maureen McCormick Opens Up About Overcoming Drug Addiction," 5 Feb. 2015
The wildfire in steep and rugged terrain had grown to nearly half a square mile (1.3 square kilometers) and the number of houses threatened by the fire had doubled to 300.

— Washington Post, "California fires cause $1B in damages, burn 7,000 buildings," 19 Oct. 2017
The wildfire in steep and rugged terrain had grown to nearly half a square mile and the number of houses threatened by the fire had doubled to 300.

— CBS News, "California wildfires destroy nearly 7,000 buildings," 19 Oct. 2017
Most other jihadist groups, including al Qaeda, are entrenched in some of the world’s most remote and rugged terrain, making recruitment challenging.

— maria abi-habib, WSJ, "For ISIS, Losing Territory Means Losing Revenue," 18 Oct. 2017
Though the last Beaver rolled off the assembly line in 1967, these rugged and beloved workhorses remain the primary means of transportation in the Alaskan bush, allowing travelers and supplies to reach places that might otherwise be inaccessible.

— chris santella, chicagotribune.com, "On the sport-fishing bucket list: Alaska's Bristol Bay," 5 Sep. 2017
Sonar scans completed during the mission also suggest that the deep ocean is much more rugged than researchers expected.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Australian Expedition Dredges Up Crazy Creatures From the Deep Sea," 20 June 2017

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