Rigids

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Describing objects or materials that are inflexible and do not bend easily; referring to strict or unyielding rules or systems; characterizing individuals who are unwilling to change their opinions or behaviors
2. Pertaining to things or substances that maintain a fixed shape without bending; denoting stringent regulations or policies that allow no deviation; applied to people who are firm in their beliefs and resistant to adaptation
3. Identifying entities that retain shape firmly without flexibility; relating to uncompromising frameworks or guidelines; describing persons who are rigid in thought or conduct and resist modification

Etymology: "Rigids" is simply the plural of "rigid", so it is the plural form of the adjective used as a noun, meaning people or things that are inflexible or unable to bend. The base word comes from Latin "rigidus", meaning "stiff", which itself derives from the verb "rigeō", "to be stiff". English took it from Middle English "rigide", and the word is closely related to "rigor", which entered English from the same Latin verb. The story has a twist in its English past. Rigid merged with an older Middle English word, "rigged" or "rygged" (also spelled "rugged"), meaning upright like a spine, and literally "ridged". The two streams blended, so part of the modern sense of "rigid" carries the picture of a ridged, stiff backbone rather than a purely Latin notion of stiffness.

Synonyms: stiff, inflexible, unyielding, firm, hard

Antonyms: flexible, pliable, soft, yielding