rigidity

/rɪˈdʒɪdəti/ (bre, ipa) · /rɪˈdʒɪdəti/ (ame, ipa) · /rə-ˈji-də-tē/ (ame, mw)

rigidity — noun

1. how firm and stiff a material or object is, making it difficult or impossible to

1.名詞B2
釋義

how firm and stiff a material or object is, making it difficult or impossible to bend, fold, or change shape

例句

The engineers tested the steel beams for rigidity before approving the bridge design.

rigidity tested/measured in materials

Adebayo could not bend the frozen garden hose because of its extreme rigidity.

同義詞
  • stiffness

    the most direct everyday synonym; more common in general usage

  • firmness

    focuses on resistance to pressure rather than bending

  • inflexibility

    works for physical objects but more commonly used for attitudes; may cause confusion with sense 2

反義詞
  • flexibility

    the ability to bend easily without breaking

  • pliability

    the ability to bend or be shaped without cracking

用法筆記

Typically describes materials, structures, or body parts. This sense is uncountable — you cannot say 'a rigidity' or 'rigidities' to mean physical stiffness.

常見錯誤

❌The metal has a high rigidity.
✅The metal has high rigidity.
💡This sense is uncountable; do not use the indefinite article 'a'.
❌The rigidity of the board stopped it from breaking.
✅The rigidity of the board helped it resist bending.
💡'Stopped from breaking' is about strength, not stiffness.

2. the tendency to keep one's ideas, methods, or behaviour unchanged, even when a d

2.名詞B2
釋義

the tendency to keep one's ideas, methods, or behaviour unchanged, even when a different approach would be better

例句

Fatima criticised the rigidity of the school's dress code, unchanged for decades.

criticised/opposed + rigidity of [system]

The manager's rigidity about meeting times frustrated the entire team.

同義詞
  • inflexibility

    the closest synonym, often interchangeable

  • stubbornness

    more personal and usually negative; describes a person's character rather than a system

  • hardness

    very informal when used for attitudes; avoid in formal writing

  • obstinacy

    more formal and strongly negative; implies unreasonable refusal to change

反義詞

用法筆記

Commonly appears in critiques of systems, institutions, or mindsets. Frequently paired with adjectives like 'bureaucratic', 'ideological', or 'mental'. Unlike sense 1, this sense can occasionally appear in countable uses ('the rigidities of the old system').

常見錯誤

❌His rigidity to accept new ideas
✅His rigidity in accepting new ideas
💡the correct preposition is 'in', not 'to'.
❌She has a rigidity about schedules.
✅She shows rigidity about schedules.
💡With people as subjects, 'shows/demonstrates' is more natural than 'has a'.