Origin: Latin suffix -ous
Rigorous has 3 different meanings across 1 category:
Showing, causing, or favoring rigour; scrupulously accurate or strict; thorough.
"The professor applied a rigorous standard to every student's research paper, demanding meticulous evidence and flawless logic."
In plain English: Rigorous means extremely strict and demanding, leaving no room for mistakes or shortcuts.
"The teacher's rigorous study plan ensured that every student was fully prepared for the exam."
Usage: Use rigorous to describe methods, tests, or standards that are extremely careful and leave no room for error. This word often modifies abstract nouns like logic or analysis rather than physical objects.
The word "rigorous" entered English via the Middle French form rigoreus, which itself came from a Late Latin term meaning stiff or rigid. Although it looks like a combination of "rigor" and "-ous," its history traces back to that original sense of inflexibility rather than being formed directly in English.