Synonyms of rugged

rugged

adjective

ˈrə-gəd 

1

as in sturdy

able to withstand hardship, strain, or exposure

a rugged construction that survived for hundreds of years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sturdy
• hardy
• strong
• tough
• stout
• hardened
• durable
• vigorous
• robust
• cast-iron
• healthy
• toughened
• hard-bitten
• hard
• resilient
• stable
• inured
• permanent
• staunch
• leathery
• thriving
• tenacious
• flinty
• enduring
• muscular
• stalwart
• lasting
• unyielding
• brawny
• everlasting
• immortal
• fortified
• virile
• staying
• imperishable
• flourishing
• husky
• fit
• tempered
• sound
• hale
• stanch
• seasoned
• able-bodied
• lusty
• prospering
• strapping
• annealed
• red-blooded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• soft
• weak
• delicate
• worn
• tender
• fragile
• weakened
• emasculated
• enfeebled
• wasted
• exhausted
• diseased
• sensitive
• infirm
• vulnerable
• unsound
• frail
• debilitated
• crippled
• puny
• incapacitated
• susceptible
• nonhardy
• worn-out
• enervated
• temporary
• run-down
• transient
• sapped
• yielding
• resistless
• perishable
• mortal
• unresistant

2

as in tough

difficult to endure

the incredibly rugged conditions that the polar explorers faced

Synonyms & Similar Words

• tough
• harsh
• rough
• searing
• oppressive
• brutal
• hard
• severe
• grim
• heavy
• trying
• cruel
• bleak
• burdensome
• murderous
• onerous
• bitter
• stiff
• painful
• inhuman
• grievous
• excruciating
• inhospitable
• rigorous
• uncomfortable
• strict
• austere
• hardhanded
• spartan
• stringent
• inclement
• wild
• unpleasant
• forbidding
• unbearable
• comfortless
• hostile
• bad
• crushing
• overwhelming
• intemperate
• discomforting
• agonizing
• tortuous
• biting
• wretched
• insufferable
• wearing
• grinding
• heartbreaking
• intolerable
• unfriendly
• harrowing
• disagreeable
• unendurable
• insupportable
• heartrending

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• easy
• soft
• light
• comfortable
• luxurious
• cozy
• friendly
• pleasant
• hospitable
• agreeable
• peaceful
• genial
• restful
• gentle
• mild
• relaxing
• snug
• moderate
• tolerable
• calm
• temperate
• painless
• bearable
• reposeful
• balmy
• endurable
• clement

3

as in gruff

harsh and threatening in manner or appearance

the warrior's rugged features frightened the child

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gruff
• fierce
• stern
• grim
• intimidating
• hostile
• rough
• bleak
• forbidding
• severe
• stark
• hardened
• austere
• flinty
• steely
• cold
• dour
• stubborn
• dark
• lowering
• somber
• black
• ungentle
• inhospitable
• louring
• rigid
• resolute
• stiff
• moody
• steadfast
• uncompromising
• solemn
• determined
• unflinching
• unfriendly
• bound
• purposeful
• adamant
• inimical
• unyielding
• unsympathetic
• unrelenting
• hard
• serious
• implacable
• obstinate
• unbending
• hardheaded
• inflexible
• immovable
• obdurate
• resolved
• wilful
• fixed
• willful
• firm
• immutable
• sullen
• unchangeable
• cheerless
• sombre
• brooding
• surly
• sulky
• melancholy
• melancholic
• intent
• gloomy
• morose
• mulish
• unsmiling
• sober
• staid
• humorless
• joyless
• set
• weighty
• glum
• grave
• self-willed
• ironhanded
• sobersided

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gentle
• mild
• soft
• benign
• easy
• quiet
• tender
• meek
• bland
• soothing
• mellow
• benignant
• tranquil
• sweet
• pleasant
• bright
• cheerful
• agreeable
• nonintimidating
• pleasing
• sunny
• happy
• inviting
• playful
• merry
• lighthearted
• glad
• goofy
• silly
• frivolous
• mirthful
• giddy
• harebrained
• flighty
• scatterbrained
• featherbrained
• light-headed

4

as in muscular

having muscles capable of exerting great physical force

a rugged athlete who's competing in weight lifting in the Olympics

Synonyms & Similar Words

• muscular
• strong
• powerful
• mighty
• stout
• sturdy
• brawny
• masculine
• sinewy
• athletic
• tough
• stalwart
• potent
• hard
• burly
• beefy
• robust
• fit
• energetic
• trim
• forceful
• healthy
• forcible
• husky
• vigorous
• virile
• strengthened
• sound
• strapping
• puissant
• able-bodied
• hale
• lusty
• toughened
• energized
• hearty
• vitalized
• inured
• red-blooded
• invigorated

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weak
• feeble
• delicate
• frail
• disabled
• wimpy
• small
• incapacitated
• paralyzed
• weakling
• powerless
• impotent
• unfit
• puny
• slight
• unhealthy
• unathletic

5

as in jagged

not having a level or smooth surface

rugged terrain that made for slow going

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jagged
• uneven
• rough
• broken
• ragged
• coarse
• irregular
• wavy
• pebbly
• bumpy
• roughened
• lumpy
• scraggy
• harsh
• rutted
• unbalanced
• undulating
• lopsided
• pitted
• knobby
• inexact
• pocked
• undulatory
• unaligned
• knurled
• scraggly
• knobbly
• nubby
• scratchy
• rutty
• nonuniform
• sandpapery
• nubbly
• burred
• knurly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• smooth
• flat
• uniform
• level
• true
• regular
• even
• exact
• aligned
• vertical
• plane
• horizontal
• straight
• tabular
• alined
• plumb
• flush

6

as in difficult

requiring considerable physical or mental effort

even more rugged than most ultramarathons, this one crosses a desert

Synonyms & Similar Words

• difficult
• challenging
• tough
• rigorous
• formidable
• hard
• demanding
• rough
• heavy
• complicated
• tall
• sweaty
• arduous
• strenuous
• intricate
• severe
• killer
• grueling
• effortful
• testing
• complex
• laborious
• stiff
• murderous
• exacting
• uphill
• backbreaking
• exhausting
• painful
• herculean
• gruelling
• toilsome
• serious
• elusive
• stubborn
• pick-and-shovel
• problematical
• brutal
• grim
• hairy
• problematic
• hellacious
• annoying
• thorny
• abstract
• oppressive
• tight
• spiny
• insoluble
• bruising
• tricky
• knotty
• troublesome
• opaque
• involved
• abstruse
• stressful
• recondite
• strict
• Augean
• moiling
• burdensome
• onerous
• stringent
• labored
• ticklish
• irksome
• trying
• vexatious
• cruel
• bothersome
• distressing
• taxing
• inhuman
• grievous

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• simple
• easy
• soft
• light
• cheap
• effortless
• clear
• undemanding
• facile
• mindless
• uncomplicated
• elementary
• manageable
• smooth
• achievable
• gentle
• doable
• soothing
• relaxed
• comforting
• friendly
• accessible
• painless
• user-friendly
• idiotproof

7

as in turbulent

marked by turmoil or disturbance especially of natural elements

New Hampshire's Mount Washington has some of the ruggedest weather in all of North America

Synonyms & Similar Words

• turbulent
• rough
• wild
• brutal
• harsh
• tumultuous
• stormy
• bleak
• tempestuous
• violent
• severe
• blustery
• raging
• unsettled
• inclement
• raw
• blustering
• nasty
• roily
• unquiet
• squally

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• quiet
• peaceful
• serene
• calm
• tranquil
• placid
• clear
• bright
• sunny
• fair
• halcyon
• cloudless
• unclouded
• sunshiny
• clement

8

as in crass

lacking in refinement or good taste

the kind of rugged humor that men have traditionally enjoyed at stag parties

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crass
• vulgar
• rude
• coarse
• common
• rough
• crude
• rough-hewn
• unpolished
• clumsy
• gross
• raffish
• low
• unrefined
• uncouth
• uncultivated
• uncultured
• tasteless
• lowbrow
• roughneck
• rustic
• insensible
• illiberal
• lowbred
• incult
• ill-bred
• boorish
• rustical
• clownish
• loutish
• unsophisticated
• cloddish
• ungentlemanly
• churlish
• countrified
• provincial
• oafish
• lumpish
• insensitive
• thoughtless
• lubberly
• uncivilized
• indelicate
• inconsiderate
• inelegant
• tacky
• barbaric
• barbarous
• countryfied
• unmannered
• graceless
• unmannerly
• animallike
• mannerless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• smooth
• polished
• civilized
• refined
• cultured
• cultivated
• tasteful
• genteel
• aristocratic
• elegant
• graceful
• patrician
• sensitive
• courtly
• well-bred
• restrained
• sophisticated
• thoughtful
• ultrarefined
• gracious
• considerate
• urbane
• citified

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective rugged contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of rugged are harsh, rough, scabrous, and uneven. While all these words mean "not smooth or even," rugged implies irregularity or roughness of land surface and connotes difficulty of travel.

a rugged landscape

When would harsh be a good substitute for rugged?

The meanings of harsh and rugged largely overlap; however, harsh implies a surface or texture distinctly unpleasant to the touch.

a harsh fabric that chafes the skin

When might rough be a better fit than rugged?

The words rough and rugged are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rough implies points, bristles, ridges, or projections on the surface.

a rough wooden board

When can scabrous be used instead of rugged?

The synonyms scabrous and rugged are sometimes interchangeable, but scabrous implies scaliness or prickliness of surface.

a scabrous leaf

When is it sensible to use uneven instead of rugged?

While the synonyms uneven and rugged are close in meaning, uneven implies a lack of uniformity in height, breadth, or quality.

an old house with uneven floors

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rugged

Located in northwestern Montana, Glacier National Park is known for its rugged terrain, dramatic scenery, and active wildlife, including one of the densest populations of grizzly bears in the lower 48 states. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025

The bold foliage brightens gardens in even the heaviest shade, which doesn’t faze this rugged perennial. —Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2025

The win kicked off a rugged stretch to start the season for Byron Nelson. —Mike Waters, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025

The 2025 Subaru Outback is an adventure-ready SUV Subaru's SUV models like the Crosstrek, Forester, and Outback are known for their rugged exteriors and off-roading potential. —Charles Singh, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025