rigorous
Thorough and strict
Rigorous means thorough, exacting, and precise.
Rigorous standards leave no room for sloppiness.
A rigorous analysis examines every detail.
Rigorous testing subjects something to demanding conditions.
The word often appears in academic and scientific contexts: a rigorous methodology, rigorous peer review.
Rigorous can also mean harsh or severe: a rigorous climate, rigorous discipline.
Severely exact and demanding
- inflexibleUnable to bend
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
- uncompromisingRefusing to yield ground
- sternStrict or ship's aft
austere · firm · unbending · exacting · demanding · harsh · severe · disciplined
Degree of correctness
- exactnessCorrectness in every detail
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
- correctnessState of being accurate
- meticulousnessExtreme carefulness in details
fastidiousness · punctiliousness · particularity · exactitude · perfectionism · nitpicking · finicky · pedantic
Based on observation, not theory
- methodologicalRegarding systematic approaches
- evidence-basedSupported by verified data
- peer-reviewedEvaluated by field experts
- data-drivenInformed by collected information
controlled · quantitative · qualitative · statistical · falsifiable · replicable · objective · analytical
Including all elements
- exhaustiveCovering all possibilities
- meticulousShowing extreme attention to detail
- systematicFollowing ordered procedures
- methodicalOrganized and deliberate
painstaking · detailed · in-depth · scrupulous · careful · complete · extensive · searching
stringent
Severely exact and demanding
- inflexibleUnable to bend
- unyieldingRefusing to give way
- uncompromisingRefusing to yield ground
stern · austere · firm · unbending · exacting · demanding · harsh · severe · disciplined · regimented
accuracy
Degree of correctness
- exactnessCorrectness in every detail
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
- correctnessState of being accurate
meticulousness · fastidiousness · punctiliousness · particularity · exactitude · perfectionism · nitpicking · finicky · pedantic · error-free
empirical
Based on observation, not theory
- methodologicalRegarding systematic approaches
- evidence-basedSupported by verified data
- peer-reviewedEvaluated by field experts
data-driven · controlled · quantitative · qualitative · statistical · falsifiable · replicable · objective · analytical · experimental
comprehensive
Including all elements
- exhaustiveCovering all possibilities
- meticulousShowing extreme attention to detail
- systematicFollowing ordered procedures
methodical · painstaking · detailed · in-depth · scrupulous · careful · complete · extensive · searching · probing
challenging
Hard to accomplish
strenuous · taxing · difficult · punishing · intense · exacting · formidable · hard · laborious · onerous
- difficultyeasy, hard, medium, difficult, moderate
- academicscholarly, academic, intellectual, erudite, learned
- accuracyaccurate, precise, exact, correct, right
- reasoningreasoning, reason, logic, inference, deductive
- strictsevere, stern, harsh, firm, tough
- systematicmethodical, structured, organized, orderly, planned
rigorouslax
Insufficiently firm or rigorous
lenient · permissive · indulgent · tolerant · easygoing
- rigorous trainingSystematic, demanding instruction