ruggedness

Variant of rugged

adjective

  1. having irregular projections and depressions; uneven in surface or contour; rough; wrinkled: rugged ground, a rugged coast
  2. strong, irregular, and wrinkled: said of the face or facial features
  3. stormy; tempestuous: rugged weather
  4. sounding harsh: rugged tones
  5. severe; harsh; hard; stern: a rugged life
  6. not polished, cultivated, refined, or elegant; rude: rugged manners
  7. ☆ strong; robust; sturdy; vigorous
  8. Informal requiring great skill, strength, endurance, etc.: a rugged test

Origin: ME, rough, shaggy, prob. < Scand, as in Swed rugga, to roughen: for IE base see rug

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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