Meaning & use
rigors
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“rigors” is a form of “rigor”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
The hard, demanding conditions that something such as a journey, a climate or a job brings.
Grammar: Almost always the rigors of something. British spelling: rigours.
Patterns
- the rigors of something
The explorers faced the rigors of an Arctic winter.
Not every athlete can survive the rigors of daily training.
The old car could not endure the rigors of the mountain road.
Word forms
| singular | rigor |
|---|
Common combinations
- rigors of winter
- Animals prepare for the rigors of winter.
- rigors of travel
- The elderly aunt dreaded the rigors of travel.
- rigors of training
- The cadets accepted the rigors of training.
- rigors of military life
- He was ready for the rigors of military life.
- withstand the rigors
- The boots withstand the rigors of hiking.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hardships
- Hardships focus on suffering and lack, while rigors focus on strict, demanding conditions.
- trials
- Trials are tests of patience or strength, often personal.
- demands
- Demands are what is required, not necessarily harsh.
- severity
- Severity describes how extreme conditions are, as a single quality.
Opposites
Word family
- rigor noun
- strictness or harshness
- rigorous adjective
- very careful and strict
- rigorously adverb
- in a strict, thorough way
- rigid adjective
- stiff and not flexible
Commonly confused: rigors or rigor mortis?
rigors vs rigor mortis
Rigor mortis is the stiffening of the body after death and is unrelated to harsh conditions.
Practice
The tent was strong enough to survive the ______ of a mountain winter.
Choose one answer.
The rigors of winter means its harsh, demanding conditions. Rigs and rivals are different words that do not make sense here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rigors”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.