rigid

R1I1G2I1D2
Australia, Canada, UK, US/ˈɹɪd͡ʒ.ɪd/New Zealand/ˈɹəd͡ʒ.əd/

adjective

Stiff, rather than flexible.

CommonScrabble 7

Meanings

adjectiverigid (comparative rigider or more rigid, superlative rigidest or most rigid)

comparative rigider · comparative more rigid · superlative rigidest · superlative most rigid

  1. Having inflexible thoughts, opinions, or beliefs.
  2. Fixed, rather than moving.

    A sunflower, four more, one bowed, and horses in the distance standing rigid and still as toys.

    2011, David Foster Wallace, The Pale King, Penguin Books, page 5

    Synonyms: static, stuck, unmovable, fixed, immobile, immotile, immovable, inanimate · Antonyms: moving, ambulatory, animate, kinetic, mobile, motile, motive, movable

  3. Uncompromising.

    Despite arguments to the contrary, she remained rigid in her stand.

    Synonyms: staunch, unyielding, adamant, ardent, grim, untiring, bent on, bloody-minded · Antonyms: compromising, transigent

nounrigid (plural rigids)

plural rigids

  1. aeronauticsAn airship whose shape is maintained solely by an internal and/or external rigid structural framework, without using internal gas pressure to stiffen the vehicle (the lifting gas is at atmospheric pressure); typically also equipped with multiple redundant gasbags, unlike other types of airship.

    The rigid could reach the greatest sizes and speeds of any airship, but was expensive to build and bulky to store. Rigids fell out of favor after the R101 and Hindenburg disasters made the type seem unsafe to the travelling public.

Synonyms & antonyms

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More synonyms by meaning

adjectiveincapable of or resistant to bending

adjectiveincapable of compromise or flexibility

adjectiveincapable of adapting or changing to meet circumstances

adjectivedesignating an airship or dirigible having a form maintained by a stiff unyielding frame or structure

Similar
Opposite

adjectivefixed and unmoving

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*Hreyǵ-
  2. Proto-Italic*rigēō
  3. Latinrigeō
  4. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  5. Latinrigidus
  6. Middle Englishrigide
  7. Englishrigid

From Middle English rigide, from Latin rigidus (“stiff”), from rigeō (“to be stiff”). Compare rigor. Merged with Middle English rigged, rygged, rugged (“upright like a spine, rigid”, literally “ridged”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἄκαμπτος
  • ἄκαμπτος (ákamptos)stiff
Bulgarian твърд, неогъващ се
  • твърд (tvărd)stiff
  • неогъващ се (neogăvašt se)stiff
  • неподвижен (nepodvižen)fixed
  • безкомпромисен (bezkompromisen)uncompromising
  • строг (strog)rigorous, unbending
  • непреклонен (nepreklonen)rigorous, unbending
Catalan rígid
  • rígidstiff
Chinese Mandarin 硬性, 僵硬
  • 硬性 (yìngxìng)stiff
  • 僵硬 (jiāngyìng)stiff
  • 硬 (yìng)stiff
Czech tuhý, rigidní
  • tuhýstiff
  • rigidnístiff
Dutch stijf, stroef
  • stijfstiff
  • stroefstiff
  • rigidestiff
  • starstiff
  • stevigfixed
  • stabielfixed
  • onbuigzaamuncompromising
  • staruncompromising
  • stijfrigorous, unbending
  • onbuigzaamrigorous, unbending
  • rigiderigorous, unbending
  • starrigorous, unbending
Esperanto rigida
  • rigidastiff
Finnish jäykkä, kankea
  • jäykkästiff
  • kankeastiff
  • kiinteäfixed
  • peräänantamatonuncompromising
  • jäykkärigorous, unbending
French rigide, rigide
  • rigidestiff
  • rigideuncompromising
  • rigiderigorous, unbending
German steif, starr
  • steifstiff
  • starrstiff
  • rigideuncompromising
  • steifrigorous, unbending
Hebrew נוקשה, קשיח
  • נוקשהstiff
  • קשיחrigorous, unbending
Hungarian merev
  • merevstiff
Italian rigido
  • rigidostiff
Japanese 硬い, 固定された
  • 硬い (katai)stiff
  • 固定された (kotei sareta)fixed
  • 固い (katai)uncompromising
  • 堅い (katai)rigorous, unbending
Latin rigidus, rigens
  • rigidusstiff
  • rigensstiff
Latvian stings, stingrs
  • stingsstiff
  • stingrsstiff
  • stīvsstiff
  • stingsfixed
  • stīvsfixed
  • stingrsuncompromising
  • stingrsrigorous, unbending
Māori torotika, whakaioio
  • torotikastiff
  • whakaioiorigorous, unbending
Norwegian rigid
  • rigidfixed
Polish sztywny, nieugięty
  • sztywnystiff
  • nieugiętyrigorous, unbending
  • nieustępliwyrigorous, unbending
Portuguese rígido, rígido
  • rígidostiff
  • rígidofixed
  • rígidouncompromising
  • rígidorigorous, unbending
Romanian rigid, bățos
  • rigidstiff
  • bățosstiff
  • țeapănstiff
Russian жёсткий, неги́бкий
  • жёсткий (žóstkij)stiff
  • неги́бкий (negíbkij)stiff
  • жёсткий (žóstkij)fixed
  • негну́щийся (negnúščijsja)fixed
  • жёсткий (žóstkij)uncompromising
  • непрекло́нный (nepreklónnyj)uncompromising
  • суро́вый (suróvyj)rigorous, unbending
  • жёсткий (žóstkij)rigorous, unbending
Scottish Gaelic rag, rag
  • ragstiff
  • raguncompromising
  • ragrigorous, unbending
Swedish stel, fast
  • stelstiff
  • fastfixed
  • stelrigorous, unbending
Tagalog tigambay
  • tigambayrigorous, unbending
Turkish katı, sert
  • katıstiff
  • sertstiff
  • sabitfixed
  • kesinuncompromising
  • sertuncompromising
  • bükülmezrigorous, unbending
Vietnamese cứng ngắc, cứng nhắc
  • cứng ngắcstiff
  • cứng nhắcstiff
  • cứng ngắcuncompromising
  • cứng nhắcuncompromising
  • cứng đầuuncompromising
  • cứng cổuncompromising

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with rigid

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Cite this entry
APA

rigid. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rigid

MLA

“rigid.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rigid. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rigid,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rigid.

Source: rigid on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.