First Known Use: 1533
Dictionary
robust
adjective ro·bust \rō-ˈbəst, ˈrō-(ˌ)bəst\
: strong and healthy
: strongly formed or built
: successful or impressive and not likely to fail or weaken
Full Definition of ROBUST
1
3
: requiring strength or vigor <robust work>
4
: full-bodied <robust coffee>; also : hearty <a robust dinner>
5
: of, relating to, resembling, or being a relatively large, heavyset australopithecine (especially Australopithecus robustus and A. boisei) characterized especially by heavy molars and small incisors adapted to a vegetarian diet — compare gracile 3
— ro·bust·ly adverb
— ro·bust·ness \-ˈbəs(t)-nəs, -(ˌ)bəs(t)-\ noun
See robust defined for English-language learners
See robust defined for kids
ADVERTISEMENT
Examples of ROBUST
- If Singapore, just seven miles to the north with its glittering skyline and robust economy, is Southeast Asia's Cinderella, Batam is her dark sister. —Peter Gwin, National Geographic, October 2007
- The greatest gains in mine mechanization came in a burst of innovation following World War II, when robust new machines were developed … —Robert L. Marovelli, Scientific American, September 1982
- Humfry was a man whom everyone noticed. His stature was above ordinary, his complexion sanguine, his conversation lively, and his constitution robust. —Samuel Eliot Morison, The European Discovery of America, 1971
- Why is almost every robust healthy boy with a robust healthy soul in him, at some time or other crazy to go to sea? —Herman Melville, Moby Dick, 1851
- [+]more
Origin of ROBUST
Latin robustus oaken, strong, from robor-, robur oak, strength
Related to ROBUST
Synonym Discussion of ROBUST
healthy, sound, wholesome, robust, hale, well mean enjoying or indicative of good health. healthy implies full strength and vigor as well as freedom from signs of disease <a healthy family>. sound emphasizes the absence of disease, weakness, or malfunction <a sound heart>. wholesome implies appearance and behavior indicating soundness and balance <a face with a wholesome glow>. robust implies the opposite of all that is delicate or sickly <a lively, robust little boy>. hale applies particularly to robustness in old age <still hale at the age of eighty>. well implies merely freedom from disease or illness <she has never been a well person>.
ROBUST Defined for Kids
robust
adjective ro·bust \rō-ˈbəst\
Definition of ROBUST for Kids
: strong and healthy
— ro·bust·ly adverb
Learn More About ROBUST
Browse
ADVERTISEMENT
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up robust? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).