ruggedest

Adjective

rugged (comparative more rugged, superlative most rugged)

1. Broken into sharp or irregular points; uneven; not smooth; rough.
   • BY and by, after a rugged climb, we halted on the summit of a hill which commanded a far-reaching view.1870–1871 (date written), Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], “”, in Roughing It, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company [et al.], published 1872, →OCLC, page 465
2. Not neat or regular; irregular, uneven.
   • 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.2011, Ronke Luke-Boone, African Fabrics: Sewing Contemporary Fashion with Ethic Flair
3. Rough with bristly hair; shaggy.
   • His hair was light and rather thin; his face strong and rugged from exposure, and his eyes narrow and observant.1897, Kate Chopin, A Morning Walk
4. Strong, sturdy, well-built.
   • 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.2010, Arthur Queen Jr., Young Man: Ageless Fatherly Wisdom to Hold
5. Rocky and bare of plantlife.
   • As the train wound along the river valleys through western Pennsylvania the scenery grew more rugged and the painted houses of Lancaster County gave way to dirty clapboard dwellings and shack homes clinging to the mountainside.1953 July, Allen Rowley, “First Impressions of American Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 492
6. (character, or people) Harsh; austere; hard

   Synonyms:

   crabbed

See all 14 meanings of rugged