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Webster 1913 Edition

Robust

Ro-bust′

,
Adj.
[L.
robustus
oaken, hard, strong, fr.
robur
strength, a very hard kind of oak; cf. Skr.
rabhas
violence: cf. F.
robuste
.]
1.
Evincing strength; indicating vigorous health; strong; sinewy; muscular; vigorous; sound;
as, a
robust
body;
robust
youth;
robust
health
.
2.
Violent; rough; rude.
While romp-loving miss
Is hauled about in gallantry
robust
.
Thomson.
3.
Requiring strength or vigor;
as,
robust
employment
.
Locke.
Syn. – Strong; lusty; sinewy; sturdy; muscular; hale; hearty; vigorous; forceful; sound.
–
Robust
,
Strong
. Robust means, literally, made of oak, and hence implies great compactness and toughness of muscle, connected with a thick-set frame and great powers of endurance. Strong denotes the power of exerting great physical force. The robust man can bear heat or cold, excess or privation, and toil on through every kind of hardship; the strong man can lift a great weight, can give a heavy blow, and a hard gripe. “Robust, tough sinews bred to toil.”
Cowper.
Then ’gan the villain wax so fierce and
strong
,
That nothing may sustain his furious force
.
Spenser.

Webster 1828 Edition

Robust

ROBUST'

,
Adj.
[L. robustus, from robur, strength.]
1.
Strong; lusty; sinewy; muscular; vigorous; forceful; as a robust body; robust youth. It implies full flesh and sound health.
2.
Sound; vigorous; as robust health.
3.
Violent; rough; rude.
Romp loving miss is haul'd about in gallantry robust.
4.
Requiring strength; as robust employment.
[Note. This is one of the words in which we observe a strong tendency in practice to accentuate the first syllable, as in access; and there are many situations of the word in which this is the preferable pronunciation. Robustious is extremely vulgar, and in the United States nearly obsolete.]

Definition 2024

robust

robust

English

Adjective

robust ‎(comparative robuster or more robust, superlative robustest or most robust) (see usage notes)

  1. Evincing strength and health; strong
    He was a robust man of six feet four.
    robust health
    A robust wall was put up.
    • Anthony Trollope (1815-1882)
      She was stronger, larger, more robust physically than he had hitherto conceived.
  2. Violent; rough; rude.
    • 2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0 - 2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport:
      As a frenetic opening continued, Cahill - whose robust approach had already prompted Jamie Carragher to register his displeasure to Atkinson - rose above the Liverpool defence to force keeper Pepe Reina into an athletic tip over the top.
  3. Requiring strength or vigor
    robust employment
  4. Sensible (of intellect etc.); straightforward, not given to or confused by uncertainty or subtlety
  5. (systems engineering) Designed or evolved in such a way as to be resistant to total failure despite partial damage.
  6. (software engineering) Resistant or impervious to failure regardless of user input or unexpected conditions.
  7. (statistics) Not greatly influenced by errors in assumptions about the distribution of sample errors.

Usage notes

  • "More" and "most robust" are much more common than the forms ending in "-er" or "-est".

Derived terms

See also

Translations

Anagrams

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

robust

  1. robust

Derived terms

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin robustus

Adjective

robust ‎(neuter singular robust, definite singular and plural robuste)

  1. robust, sturdy

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin robustus

Adjective

robust ‎(neuter singular robust, definite singular and plural robuste)

  1. robust, sturdy

References

Etymology

From Latin rōbustus, from rōbur, rōbus ‎(“strength", "hard timber", "oak”).

Pronunciation

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