# rugged

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈɹʌɡɪd/ · frequency rank #13,052

## Definitions
1. Broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven; not smooth; rough.
2. Not neat or regular; irregular, uneven.
3. Rough with bristly hair; shaggy.
4. Strong, sturdy, well-built.
5. Rocky and bare of plantlife.
6. Harsh; austere; hard
7. Stormy; turbulent; tempestuous
8. Harsh; grating; unpleasant sounding or looking
9. Sour; surly; frowning; wrinkled
10. Violent; rude; boisterous
11. Vigorous; robust; hardy
12. Designed to reliably operate in harsh usage environments and conditions.

## Etymology
From Middle English rugged, roggyd, ruggyd, derived from Old Norse rǫgg (“tuft, shagginess”), equivalent to rug (“rough, woollen material”) + -ed. Compare Old Swedish ruggoter (“wrinkled”), Swedish rugga (“to roughen”), Swedish ruggig (“shaggy”), Icelandic rögg (“shagginess”), Old Norse raggaðr (“tufted”), dialectal Danish raggad (“shaggy”).

## Easily confused with
- **ruled** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rugged-vs-ruled)
- **ruined** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rugged-vs-ruined)
- **rushed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rugged-vs-rushed)
- **rigged** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rigged-vs-rugged)
- **rubbed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rubbed-vs-rugged)
- **ragged** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ragged-vs-rugged)
- **ringed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ringed-vs-rugged)

## Common misspellings (5)
`rguged`, `rrugged`, `rugegd`, `ruggde`, `ruggedd`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rugged