ri ‧ gid AC /ˈrɪdʒəd, ˈrɪdʒɪd/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ rigidity ; adverb : ↑ rigidly ; adjective : ↑ rigid ]
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: rigidus , from rigere 'to be stiff' ]
1 . rigid methods, systems etc are very strict and difficult to change OPP flexible :
rigid and authoritarian methods of education
2 . someone 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.
3 . stiff and not moving or bending OPP flexible :
rigid plastic
4 . used to describe someone who cannot move, especially because they are very frightened, shocked, or angry
rigid with
I heard a noise and woke up rigid with terror.
—rigidly adverb :
rigidly opposed to all new ideas
—rigidity /rɪˈdʒɪdəti, rɪˈdʒɪdɪti/ noun [uncountable]
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THESAURUS
▪ hard difficult to press down, break, or cut, and not at all soft:
I fell onto the hard stone floor.
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The clay gets harder as it dries.
▪ firm 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.
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exercises to make your stomach muscles nice and firm
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The pears were firm and juicy.
▪ stiff difficult to bend and not changing shape:
a piece of stiff cardboard
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The collar of his shirt felt stiff and uncomfortable.
▪ solid made of a thick hard material and not hollow:
a solid oak door
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The floor felt strong and solid beneath her feet.
▪ rigid /ˈrɪdʒəd, ˈrɪdʒɪd/ having a structure that is made of a material that is difficult or impossible to bend:
The tent is supported by a rigid frame.
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Carry sandwiches in a rigid container.
▪ crisp/crispy 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 ↑ slice s until they are brown:
Bake the cookies until they are crisp and golden.
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crispy bacon
▪ crunchy 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
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The carrots were still nice and crunchy.
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a crunchy salad
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crunchy peanut butter
▪ tough meat that is tough is too hard and is difficult to cut or eat:
The meat was tough and flavourless.
▪ rubbery too hard and bending like rubber rather than breaking – used especially about meat:
The chicken was all rubbery.