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Rugged vs Steep - What's the difference?

rugged | steep |

As adjectives the difference between rugged and steep

is that rugged is broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven; not smooth; rough or rugged can be having a rug or rugs while steep is of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc that proceeds upward at an angle near vertical.

As verbs the difference between rugged and steep

is that rugged is (rug) while steep is (ambitransitive) to soak an item (or to be soaked) in liquid in order to gradually add or remove components to or from the item.

As a noun steep is

a liquid used in a steeping process.

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

    External links

    * *

    Etymology 2

    (rug) + (-ed)

    Adjective

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

    • Verb

    (head)
  • (rug)

    • Anagrams

    * English heteronyms

    steep

    English

    Etymology 1

    (etyl) . The sense of “sharp slope” is attested circa 1200; the sense “expensive” is attested US 1856.

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward at an angle near vertical.
    • a steep''' hill or mountain; a '''steep''' roof; a '''steep''' ascent; a '''steep barometric gradient
  • (informal) expensive
    • Twenty quid for a shave? That's a bit steep .
  • (obsolete) Difficult to access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high.
    • (Chapman)
  • (of the rake of a ship's mast, or a car's windshield) resulting in a mast or windshield angle that strongly diverges from the perpendicular
    • The steep rake of the windshield enhances the fast lines of the exterior. [http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070303/news_lz1dd3maynard.html]

    Synonyms

    * brant

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) stepen, from (etyl) . More at (l).

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (ambitransitive) To soak an item (or to be soaked) in liquid in order to gradually add or remove components to or from the item
    • They steep skins in a tanning solution to create leather.
    The tea is steeping .
  • * Wordsworth
    • In refreshing dew to steep / The little, trembling flowers.
  • To imbue with something.
  • * Earle
    • The learned of the nation were steeped in Latin.
    a town steeped in history
    Derived terms
    * (l)

    Noun

  • A liquid used in a steeping process
    • Corn steep has many industrial uses.
  • A rennet bag.

    • References