noun

rigor

/ˈrɪɡər/ · say it: RIG·ur

strictness and thoroughness

In Nuance & Precision

In more detail

1. (noun) the quality of being very careful, thorough, and precise in work or thinking

2. (noun) severe hardship or difficulty

3. (noun) stiffness or rigidity, especially of muscles after death

Examples

1. The scientific study was conducted with great rigor and attention to detail.
2. The rigor of life in the Arctic made survival very challenging.
3. Rigor mortis sets in a few hours after death.

How to use rigor

Rigor most commonly means careful, thorough attention to detail in academic, scientific, or intellectual work. In this sense, it emphasizes precision and meticulous standards. The sense of severe hardship is more literary or archaic. Rigor mortis is a specialized medical/forensic term referring to the stiffening of muscles after death. The adjective rigorous is far more frequent in everyday usage than the noun.

Common phrases

intellectual rigor
scientific rigor
with rigor
rigor mortis
academic rigor
lack of rigor

Synonyms

thoroughness · precision · strictness · exactness · meticulousness

Opposites

laxity · carelessness · looseness

Word family

rigorous (adjective) · rigorously (adverb) · rigorousness (noun)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse 'rigor' with 'vigor' (energy and enthusiasm); they are spelled differently and have distinct meanings. Rigor is not vigor.

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