rigid
/ˈrɪdʒɪd
/adjective
1Unable to bend or be forced out of shape; not flexible: a seat of rigid orange plastic...
- The result is the new ‘lightweight armor’ shoe, which has a flexible forefoot and a rigid heel.
- Among them are lidding film for rigid cups, flexible pouches for pet foods and beverage pouches for juices.
- The cabin has plenty of storage spaces, but the door pockets would be much more useful with flexible sides instead of rigid ones.
Synonyms
stiff, hard, firm, inflexible, non-flexible, unbending, unyielding, inelastic;
taut, tight
rare impliable, unmalleable
1.1(Of a person or part of their body) stiff and unmoving, especially as a result of shock or fear: Beatrice was rigid with terror...
- She was rigid with terror at the very thought of it.
- His blue eyes pierced me and made my body feel suddenly rigid with fear.
- Looking over at her properly for the first time since getting into her car, he noticed her slim body was rigid with tension, her knuckles white from holding the steering wheel in a deathly grip.
2Not able to be changed or adapted: rigid bureaucratic controls...
- The inclusion of a rigid rule against capital controls in a trade agreement makes things even worse.
- Through the end of the twentieth century, Kenyan households maintained rigid rules concerning women's roles within the patriarchal household.
- To move beyond rigid rules and roles, the twenty-first century nurse must not only understand nursing and medical language, but use it confidently.
Synonyms
fixed, set, firm, inflexible, unalterable, unchangeable, immutable, unvarying, invariable, hard and fast, cast-iron
2.1Not adaptable in outlook, belief, or response: the College had not wanted to be too rigid in imposing teaching methods...
- She was also notorious for her rude comments and rigid opinions on style.
- I have a feeling that Horton's style wasn't as rigid as the way that it has been passed down.
- A willingness to listen to and at least partially incorporate the other point of view has replaced the rigid and uncompromising attitude of the past.
Synonyms
strict, severe, stern, stringent, rigorous, inflexible, uncompromising, resolute, determined, immovable, unshakeable;
unrelenting, intransigent, unyielding, unwavering, unswerving, obdurate, unadaptable, adamant
noun
A lorry which is not articulated.
Derivatives
rigidify
- On the one hand, hard-line religious and moral conservatives have been working to rigidify the boundaries of ‘traditional’ marriage and to shore up its privileged status.
- Traditions were not reinterpreted but frozen and rigidified.
- They can rigidify or help loosen up your thinking.
rigidness
- According to Malone, the Methodists ‘stood ready to assist in the rebuilding of a new church free of the anarchy and rigidness of the past.’
- In fact, the real paradox and irony is that the world is becoming more and more complex, more and more multidimensional, yet what we want is certainty, we want more and more certainty, we want rigidness, we want one answer.
- Although it is too early to tell, I would associate Katherine with a degree of rigidness, perfectionism, and inflexibility.
Origin
Late Middle English: from Latin rigidus, from rigere 'be stiff'.