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adjective

robust

/roʊˈbʌst/  ·  say it: roh·BUST

strong and healthy; able to withstand stress

In Sophisticated Everyday

strong and healthy

In Describing & Comparing

In more detail

1. (adjective) strong and healthy; able to resist illness or damage

2. (adjective) effective and successful in dealing with difficult situations

3. (adjective) (of systems, designs, etc.) sturdy and able to work well in different conditions

Examples

How to use robust

Robust is a versatile adjective used across formal and technical contexts to describe physical strength, health, or the effectiveness of systems and arguments. It emphasizes durability and reliability, particularly under stress or adverse conditions, and conveys confidence in something's ability to perform consistently rather than merely existing.

Register: formal

Common phrases

Synonyms

strong · sturdy · resilient · durable · hardy

Opposites

fragile · weak · delicate

Word family

robustness (noun) · robustly (adverb)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use robust to mean simply 'large' or 'big' when discussing quantities or volumes; in English it specifically implies strength and resilience, not size alone.

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