Meaning & use
vigorous
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Done with a lot of energy, strength or force.
Grammar: Used before a noun: vigorous exercise.
Vigorous exercise raises your heart rate.
He gave the paint a vigorous stir.
adjectivecomparable
Strong, healthy and full of life, as a person or plant.
Grammar: Describes living things.
The vigorous young plants grew fast.
He remained vigorous well into his eighties.
adjectivecomparable
Strongly and energetically pursued, as an argument or campaign.
Grammar: Often before debate, defense or campaign.
The senator mounted a vigorous defense.
There was a vigorous debate about the budget.
Word forms
| comparative | more vigorous |
|---|---|
| superlative | most vigorous |
Common combinations
- vigorous exercise
- Vigorous exercise is good for health.
- vigorous debate
- A vigorous debate followed.
- vigorous defense
- He mounted a vigorous defense.
- vigorously deny
- She vigorously denied it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- energetic
- Energetic is more casual and describes lively people.
- strenuous
- Strenuous describes hard activity requiring effort, not the energy behind it.
- robust
- Robust stresses strength and sturdiness.
Opposites
Word family
- vigor noun
- physical or mental energy
- vigorously adverb
- with great energy
Commonly confused: vigorous or rigorous?
vigorous vs rigorous
Rigorous means strict and thorough, not energetic.
Practice
Doctors recommend 30 minutes of ___ exercise, like running, three times a week.
Choose one answer.
Vigorous exercise means energetic exercise. Rigorous describes strict standards, which is a close-looking distractor.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “vigorous”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.