rigidri‧gid /ˈrɪdʒɪd/ ●●○ AWL adjective 
rigid and authoritarian methods of education2someone who behaves in a rigid way is very unwilling to change their ideas or behaviour OPP flexible: rigid adherence to old-fashioned ideas She maintained rigid control over her emotional and sexual life.3stiff and not moving or bending OPP flexible: rigid plastic► see thesaurus at hard4used to describe someone who cannot move, especially because they are very frightened, shocked, or angryrigid with I heard a noise and woke up rigid with terror.—rigidly adverb: rigidly opposed to all new ideas—rigidity /rɪˈdʒɪdəti/ noun [uncountable]
WORD ORIGINrigid
Origin:
1400-1500 Latin rigidus, from rigere ‘to be stiff’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- rigid academic standards
- About a dozen large rigid plates make up the Earth's crust.
- Andrew was even more rigid in his attitudes towards child-rearing than his father, who was himself quite strict.
- Any major changes were prevented by the rigid conservatism of the Church.
- He built the team through hard training and rigid discipline.
- It is not possible to lay down rigid rules on sentencing - judges must be free to use their discretion.
- Our manager was so rigid, he'd never listen to our ideas.
- People naturally get very frustrated with rigid bureaucracies.
- Spoon the ice-cream into a rigid plastic container and freeze.
- The rigid class distinctions which characterised British society are beginning to break down.
- The framework of the aircraft must be rigid yet light.
- The French maintain a rigid separation of personal and professional life.
- The government had centralized political power and imposed rigid controls on economic activity.
- The key to success is flexibility. If you're too rigid, you could be in trouble.
- The President will not be able to meet enough people if he is kept to an unnaturally rigid schedule.
- The tent is made of strong canvas attached to a rigid frame.
- A rigid cabinet is essential for eliminating unwanted resonances, and the unusual glass-reinforced-plastic enclosure is perfect.
- A honeycomb provides the most rigid structure with lightest weight.
- But at the level of field studies there was a much less rigid distinction between professional and amateur.
- They can not all be fitted into the same rigid framework.
- Without this adjustability, the neural circuitry would be as rigid as that in our consumer electronics.
- Yet it would be dangerous to regard such divisions as being in any way rigid.
THESAURUS
difficult to press down, break, or cut, and not at all soft: · I fell onto the hard stone floor.· The clay gets harder as it dries.
not completely hard, but not easy to press or bend – used especially when this seems a good thing: · I like to sleep on a firm mattress.· exercises to make your stomach muscles nice and firm· The pears were firm and juicy.
difficult to bend and not changing shape: · a piece of stiff cardboard· The collar of his shirt felt stiff and uncomfortable.
made of a thick hard material and not hollow: · a solid oak door· The floor felt strong and solid beneath her feet.
having a structure that is made of a material that is difficult or impossible to bend: · The tent is supported by a rigid frame.· Carry sandwiches in a rigid container.
used about food that is pleasantly hard, so that it makes a noise when you bite it – often used about things that have been cooked in thin slices until they are brown: · Bake the cookies until they are crisp and golden.· crispy bacon
food that is crunchy makes a noise when you bite on it – often used about things that are fresh, for example fruit, vegetables, and nuts: · a crunchy breakfast cereal· The carrots were still nice and crunchy.· a crunchy salad· crunchy peanut butter
meat that is tough is too hard and is difficult to cut or eat: · The meat was tough and flavourless.
too hard and bending like rubber rather than breaking – used especially about meat: · The chicken was all rubbery.
Longman Language Activatornot easy to bend a substance such as cloth or paper that is stiff is hard and is difficult to bend: · The leaves of the plant are very stiff.· a stiff piece of cardboardfrozen stiff: · In the extreme cold my wet shoes became frozen stiff.
an object or structure that is rigid is strong and will not bend or change its shape: · The framework of the aircraft must be rigid yet light.· About a dozen large rigid plates make up the Earth's crust.
difficult or impossible to change a system that is rigid is extremely difficult or impossible to change and is therefore annoying: · People naturally get very frustrated with rigid bureaucracies.· The rigid class distinctions which characterised British society are beginning to break down.· The President will not be able to meet enough people if he is kept to an unnaturally rigid schedule.· The government had centralized political power and imposed rigid controls on economic activity.
difficult or impossible to change, even when a change would be better: · The regulations are precise and inflexible in such matters.· It is a huge, inflexible and impersonal organization.
unwilling to change the way you do things not willing to change the way you think or the way you do something: · Although many students adored Albers, others found him inflexible and stifling. · Union negotiators criticized the employers for being too inflexible on the issues of pay and working conditions.
to be unable to change the way you do things because you have done them that way for a long time: · I'm too old and set in my ways to try living in a foreign country now.
someone who is rigid will never change their mind about what is right or wrong or about how things should be done: · Our manager was so rigid, he'd never listen to our ideas.· Any major changes were prevented by the rigid conservatism of the Church.rigid in your ideas/opinions/attitudes etc: · Andrew was even more rigid in his attitudes towards child-rearing than his father, who was himself quite strict.
when something does not change its shape or bend · That night I had to sleep on a hard stone floor.· I wish this chair wasn't so hard and uncomfortable.· Diamond is probably the hardest substance known to man.· As people age, their skin becomes harder and less supple.rock- hard (=very hard) · After several weeks without rain, the ground was rock-hard.as hard as something · A tiled floor in the kitchen is as hard as stone, and very cold beneath your feet.
something that is solid is made of thick hard material, is not hollow, and is difficult to damage or break: · The door was made of solid steel.· During winter the lake became a solid block of ice.
something that is firm is not completely hard, but does not change shape much when you press it - use this about things that are sometimes soft, for example fruit, muscles, or the ground: · I find I sleep better on a firm mattress.· These exercises are good for making your stomach muscles nice and firm.
something that is stiff keeps its shape and is not easy to bend: · To make the picture, you will need a sheet of stiff card.· The collar of his shirt felt stiff and uncomfortable.go stiff British: · The sheets outside on the washing line had gone stiff in the frost.
a material that is rigid is difficult or impossible to bend, and is often used to support something else: · The tent is made of strong canvas attached to a rigid frame.· Spoon the ice-cream into a rigid plastic container and freeze.
rules/laws/systems strict rules, laws, etc are very clear and must always be obeyed: · There are strict rules about the use of dangerous chemicals.· He had strict instructions to return the key to me.
tough laws or rules are very strict and do not allow much freedom: · The federal government is introducing tough new rules to control immigration.· Opposition leaders are demanding tougher laws against drinking and driving.
a harsh law or system of government has strict rules and severe punishments - use this about something that you think is unfair and too strict: · The government has brought in harsh measures to combat the rioting taking place in many cities.· a harsh military regime
controlled very strictly by rules that have very high standards: stringent controls/measures/regulations etc: · There are now stringent controls on pollution from all power stations.· stringent air safety regulations
rigid systems or rules are very strict and difficult to change: · He built the team through hard training and rigid discipline.· It is not possible to lay down rigid rules on sentencing - judges must be free to use their discretion.
tight controls or limits are very strict about what is allowed and what is not allowed: · The report recommends tighter controls on the advertising of cigarettes.· Laws controlling the emission of greenhouse gases are not nearly tight enough.
formal: draconian laws/measures/penalties etc laws or punishments that are extremely strict or cruel: · The government has imposed draconian penalties for anyone found in possession of illegal drugs.· Draconian measures have been implemented to control population growth.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES strict adherence to Judaic law
strict adherence to Judaic law (=extremely bored)· Patti was bored stiff with small-town Massachusetts life.
(=strict controls) the introduction of tighter controls on immigration
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB the introduction of tighter controls on immigration· White as a sheet, and holding his arms out as rigid as a shelf.· That means the traditional office layout of lined-up cubicles and work stations is seen as rigid and unimaginative.· Group norms and values will act as constraints and even informal rules can be as rigid as formal rules.· Without this adjustability, the neural circuitry would be as rigid as that in our consumer electronics.· She froze, unable to move suddenly, her body as rigid as the pretty statuette she clung to.· As a result, the gun-barrel feels as rigid as if it were cast in concrete.· In Television, at this time, line discipline was as rigid as for twice-nightly, weekly rep in the Theatre.· Above, I am as rigid as a monument; below, smooth fluidity.
· But at the level of field studies there was a much less rigid distinction between professional and amateur.· It means less rigid structures in planning.· But Schro der's leftwing government adopted a less rigid stance on foreign currency.· In fact, the government's policy from 1982 onwards became somewhat less rigid.· The plasma membrane is also thought to be far less rigid a structure than originally proposed.· In the Low Country the link between social status and government appointments was less rigid, but nevertheless important.· As expected, there were strong regional voting patterns, although these appeared a little less rigid than in the 1988 election.
· The arteries, much more rigid than veins and buried deeper in the body, are unaffected.· Statute-based rules thus tend to be both more powerful and also more rigid.· This may mean becoming even more rigid and defensive about receiving help.· Some are ruled by single females, in a society even more rigid than that of a beehive.· Over time, the organization becomes more rigid and the culture more uniform.· Gradually, it became more rigid.· Nevertheless, current grammatical freedom is unpalatable to many educated in a more rigid era.
· A honeycomb provides the most rigid structure with lightest weight.· This was provided for by at once exacting the most rigid discipline and order...· In the west it is the Roman Catholic Church that holds the most rigid and illiberal religious beliefs.· It is to say that courts must subject them to the most rigid scrutiny.· Boundaries are most rigid, their outline obvious and often oppressive.
· Isabel lay very still, her muscles so rigid with tension that she doubted she could have moved anyway.· Some corporate cultures are so rigid that they require absolute obedience to the corporate line.· If only conventions were not so rigid she could easily have had him for a lodger.· This tale unfolds according to a formula so rigid, just about anyone could tell it.· Hopefully they will not be so rigid with their resources.· She was so rigid that each joint had to be broken loose.
· Misconceptions can penalise too rigid definition of hinterlands.· Their categories are too all-encompassing, too rigid.· Too theoretical, too rigid, too whatever-negative-description-you-can-come-up-with.· But today these things are too rigid.· I would not, however, make the separation too rigid.· It is too rigid and bureaucratic.· She has never hired anyone with a business-school education, because she believes such people are too rigid in their outlook.· The line is too rigid, too divisive.
· Can I now replace or modify the very rigid eleven leaf springs on the front?· Sometimes children who are very rigid also have difficulty using emotional ideas.· After 18 months the law provides very rigid conditions for software registration and it will mean that every copy should be authorised.· The inheritance of outmoded company structures from the past, reinforced by further concentration, produced very rigid company organisation.· The very rigid structure looks tedious and clumsy to us humans, but we are not meant to be reading it.· This is a stout, low-growing plant with very rigid and distinctive leaves.
NOUN· During preoperational development, children become aware of rules and demand of others a rigid adherence to rules.
· We shall see later that in simple shear a rigid body rotation is involved as well as a displacement.· And the Skyship is a pressure airship, whereas the old airships had rigid bodies.· With rigid body, I waited for the shots, but none came.
· Propping up the world's most enduring dictator is a slavish personality cult, and rigid control of the nation.· Gore has also maintained rigid control over the use of its products.· Nicholson brought instant stability to the production and introduced some of the rigid controls he had learned from the Corman modusoperandi.
· Many communities of small cetaceans have rigid hierarchies of power.· We needed flexibility, but kept rigid hierarchies.· Its supporters make the point that it breaks down rigid hierarchies and allows for greater participation in the decision-making process.· In Workplace 2000, rigid hierarchies will be dismantled, as will the ceremonial trappings of power.
· The ephemeral nature of fluid flow belies the rigid rules which govern its behaviour.· Such rigid rules almost inevitably set up a nightly struggle that exhausts everyone.· The rigid rules for turn and turn about social calls are no longer observed.· This means organizations must continue to set norms and create a corporate culture but not lay down rigid rules.· Byrne designs the cars and has made the most of the rigid rules that now govern Grand Prix racing.· There are very many such influences on grouping structure, so that rigid rules would be almost impossible to specify.· They can prefer the certainty and security offered by rigid rules.
· In the islands almost all white men were part of a rigid structure that turned them into guards and gaolers.· A honeycomb provides the most rigid structure with lightest weight.· In spite of their rigid structure they can move through the water with surprising speed.· It means less rigid structures in planning.· Flexibility is essential; rigid structures do not survive major turbulence.· The very rigid structure looks tedious and clumsy to us humans, but we are not meant to be reading it.· Instead of a rigid structure, gender becomes an open house for men and women to enter and leave.
· Secondly, as mentioned before, Hindu society is patrilineal and it follows a rigid system of caste distinction.· It was broken, and we should be wary of returning to such a rigid system.· They can become a rigid system for controlling students and teachers, but they need not be used in this way.
WORD FAMILYnounrigidityadjectiverigidadverbrigidly
1rigid methods, systems etc are very strict and difficult to change OPP flexible: rigid and authoritarian methods of education2someone who behaves in a rigid way is very unwilling to change their ideas or behaviour OPP flexible: rigid adherence to old-fashioned ideas She maintained rigid control over her emotional and sexual life.3stiff and not moving or bending OPP flexible: rigid plastic► see thesaurus at hard4used to describe someone who cannot move, especially because they are very frightened, shocked, or angryrigid with I heard a noise and woke up rigid with terror.—rigidly adverb: rigidly opposed to all new ideas—rigidity /rɪˈdʒɪdəti/ noun [uncountable]