What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Rugged vs Severe - What's the difference?

rugged | severe | Related terms |

Rugged is a related term of severe.


As adjectives the difference between rugged and severe

is that rugged is broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven; not smooth; rough or rugged can be having a rug or rugs while severe is severe, harsh.

As a verb rugged

is (rug).

rugged

English

(Webster 1913)

Etymology 1

From (etyl) .

Adjective

(er)
  • Broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven; not smooth; rough
  • * 1870 , (Mark Twain), Roughing It , Chapter LXV
  • By and by, after a rugged climb, we halted on the summit of a hill which commanded a far-reaching view.
  • Not neat or regular; irregular, uneven.
  • * 2011 , Ronke Luke-Boone, African Fabrics: Sewing Contemporary Fashion with Ethic Flair
  • Commercially produced yarn, such as rayon, produces a cloth with a smoother, shinier look than hand-spun cotton, but the uneven, rugged look of hand-spun cotton can be quite appealing.
  • Rough with bristles or hair; shaggy.
  • * 1897 , Kate Chopin, A Morning Walk
  • His hair was light and rather thin; his face strong and rugged from exposure, and his eyes narrow and observant.
  • (of a person) strong, sturdy, well-built
  • * 2010 , Arthru Queen Jr., Young Man: Ageless Fatherly Wisdom to Hold
  • Many women and men delude themselves into thinking that only the hardest and most rugged man is attractive and to many it may be the case.
  • (of land) rocky and bare of plantlife
  • * 2013 , Vicky Baker in The Guardian , Riding with the cowboys on a Mexico ranch
  • Hidden within 30,000 acres of rugged private land, the ranch is cocooned by peaks and canyons in all directions.
  • * 1971 , United States Forest Service, Search for solitude: our wilderness heritage
  • Much of the area can be seen only by hikers who travel without trails to the higher reaches of this rugged mountain range.
  • Harsh; austere; hard; crabbed; -- said of temper, character, and the like, or of persons.
  • Stormy; turbulent; tempestuous; rude.
  • Harsh; grating; rough to the ear -- said of sound, style, and the like.
  • Sour; surly; frowning; wrinkled; -- said of looks, etc.
  • * 1908 , Rafael Sabatini, The Abduction
  • "Ah!" sighed the unimaginative Granby, and his honest, rugged face grew clouded. Pepper puffed in silence for a moment or two; then spoke.
  • Violent; rude; boisterous; -- said of conduct, manners, etc.
  • Vigorous; robust; hardy; -- said of health, physique, etc.
  • * 1909 , (Jack London), Martin Eden
  • "Her gaze rested for a moment on the muscular neck, heavy corded, almost bull-like, bronzed by the sun, spilling over with rugged health and strength..."
  • (computing, of a computer) designed to reliably operate in harsh usage environments and conditions
  • * 2011 , Nick Fletcher, Psion drops 2% after supply chain issues push it into loss
  • Psion, which supplies a range of rugged hand held computers, has lost nearly 2% after announcing a plunge into the red.
    Derived terms
    * ruggedize * ruggedly * ruggedness * semirugged

    References

    Etymology 2

    (rug) + (-ed)

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Having a rug or rugs.
  • Covered with a rug.
  • Verb

    (head)
  • (rug)
  • Anagrams

    * English heteronyms

    severe

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Very bad or intense.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2012-01
  • , author=Donald Worster , title=A Drier and Hotter Future , volume=100, issue=1, page=70 , magazine= citation , passage=Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force.}}
  • Strict or harsh.
  • Sober, plain in appearance, austere.
  • Synonyms

    * brutal * extreme * hard * harsh * intense * rigorous * serious

    Antonyms

    * (very bad or intense) mild * (very bad or intense) minor * (strict or harsh) lenient

    Derived terms

    * severely (adverb) * severity (noun) * severeness (noun)

    Anagrams

    * ----