different between tight vs rigid

English

Etymology

From Middle English tight, tyght, ty?t, tiht, variants of thight, thiht, from Old English *þ?ht, *þiht (attested in meteþiht) and Old Norse þéttr, both from Proto-Germanic *þinhtaz, from Proto-Indo-European *tenkt- (“dense, thick, tight”), from Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to stretch, pull”). Cognate with Scots ticht, West Frisian ticht, Danish tæt, Icelandic þéttur (“dense”), Norwegian tett, Swedish tät, Dutch dicht (“dense”), German dicht (“dense”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: t?t, IPA^(key): /ta?t/
• Rhymes: -a?t

Adjective

tight (comparative tighter, superlative tightest)

1. Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
   1. Unyielding or firm.

   2. Under high tension; taut.
   3. (colloquial) Scarce, hard to come by.

   4. (colloquial, figuratively) Intimately friendly.

   5. (slang, figuratively, usually derogatory) Miserly or frugal.

2. (of a space, design or arrangement) Narrow, such that it is difficult for something or someone to pass through it.
   2. Fitting close, or too close, to the body.

   3. Of a turn, sharp, so that the timeframe for making it is narrow and following it is difficult.

   4. Lacking holes; difficult to penetrate; waterproof.
      • 1965, MotorBoating, page 145

        He reported the hull was tight and secure and did not leak a drop.

      • 2014, Ian Black, "Courts kept busy as Jordan works to crush support for Isis", The Guardian, 27 November:

        Security is tight inside and outside the building, guarded by a bewildering collection of soldiers, policemen and gendarmes. Relatives watch as prisoners in handcuffs and leg irons shuffle past.

3. Well-rehearsed and accurate in execution.
   1. (sports) Not conceding many goals.
      • 2014, Paul Doyle, "Southampton hammer eight past hapless Sunderland in barmy encounter", The Guardian, 18 October 2014:

        The odd thing was that Sunderland made the better start and showed early signs that they might pose serious problems to the Premier League’s tightest defence.

4. (slang) Intoxicated; drunk or acting like being drunk.
   • 1940, Effie Butler, Misbehaving Husbands:

     I'm going to celebrate my divorce! And then I'm going to get tight.

   • 2001, Gaelic Storm, Johnny Tarr (on the album Tree):

     Johnny walked into the Castle Bar, looking to get tight.

5. (slang) Extraordinarily great or special.

6. (slang, British (regional)) Mean; unfair; unkind.
   • 1977, Willy Russell, Our Day Out, Act One, Scene One:

     Reilly: Ey, Miss, hang on, hang on... can we come with y', Miss? Can we?

     Digga: Go on, Miss, don't be tight, let's come.

   • 2001, Kevin Sampson, Outlaws, p.244:

     "Ah leave him, ay!" goes one of the girls. "Don't be tight." I turns to her. "Don't you think it's tight terrorising old ladies? Ay?"

   • 2011, Andrew Hicks, "Thai Girl: A story of the one who said 'no'", unnumbered page:

     "That's right ... so even when life's a grind, the Thais keep smiling. They think the farang are a miserable lot who have to get drunk to enjoy themselves."

     "Dutch, that's tight mate, I mean what's wrong with getting pissed. When you're not working, you gotta have a good time," said Darren.

7. (obsolete) Not ragged; whole; neat; tidy.

   • clad very plain, but clean and tight

   • 1714, John Gay, The What D'ye Call It

     I'll spin and card, and keep our children tight.

   • 1887, W. S. Gilbert, Ruddigore

     Richard: But here she comes! [...] (Enter Rose — he is much struck by her.) By the Port Admiral, but she's a tight little craft!

   • “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; and she looked it, always trim and trig and smooth of surface like a converted yacht cleared for action. ¶ Near her wandered her husband […] from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.

8. (obsolete) Handy; adroit; brisk.
9. (poker) Of a player, who plays very few hands. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
10. (poker) Using a strategy which involves playing very few hands. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Synonyms

• (firmly held together): close, serried (of ranks); see also Thesaurus:tight
• (pushed/pulled together): crowded, dense; see also Thesaurus:compact
• (under high tension): taut, tense, under tension; see also Thesaurus:taut
• (miserly or frugal): niggardly, parsimonious; see also Thesaurus:stingy
• (narrow): narrow; see also Thesaurus:narrow
• (fitting close to the body): figure-hugging, snug, tight-fitting; see also Thesaurus:close-fitting
• (well-rehearsed and accurate): polished, precise; see also Thesaurus:meticulous
• (intimately friendly): close, close-knit, intimate
• (slang: intoxicated): blotto, plastered; see also Thesaurus:drunk
• (slang: extraordinarily great or special): ace, cool, fab, rad, slick; see also Thesaurus:excellent
• (slang: mean; unfair; unkind): see also Thesaurus:mean
• (not ragged): ruly, shipshape, trim; see also Thesaurus:orderly
• (handy; adroit; brisk): crafty, dexterous, skilful; see also Thesaurus:skilled

Antonyms

• (firmly held together): baggy (of clothing or other material), loose, sagging, saggy, slack; see also Thesaurus:loose
• (pushed/pulled together):
• (under high tension): loose, relaxed, slack; see also Thesaurus:careless
• (miserly or frugal): generous, prodigal, scattergood; see also Thesaurus:generous or Thesaurus:prodigal
• (narrow): broad, capacious, open, roomy, spacious, wide; see also Thesaurus:wide
• (well-rehearsed and accurate): slack, slapdash, sloppy
• (slang: intoxicated): clearheaded, on the wagon; see also Thesaurus:sober
• (slang: extraordinarily great or special): crap, naff, pathetic, rubbish; see also Thesaurus:bad
• (slang: mean; unfair; unkind): nice, pleasant; see also Thesaurus:kindly
• (not ragged): unruly, messy; see also Thesaurus:disorderly
• (handy; adroit; brisk): bungling, maladroit, unskilful; see also Thesaurus:unskilled

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

tight (comparative tighter, superlative tightest)

1. Firmly, so as not to come loose easily.

   Make sure the lid is closed tight.
2. Soundly.

   Good night, sleep tight.

Synonyms

• (firmly): fast, firmly, securely
• (soundly): soundly, well

Antonyms

• (firmly): loosely
• (soundly): badly, fitfully

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

tight (third-person singular simple present tights, present participle tighting, simple past and past participle tighted)

1. (obsolete) To tighten.

Danish

Etymology

From English tight. Doublet of tæt.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tajt/, [?t??jd?]

Adjective

tight (plural and definite singular attributive tighte)

1. tight (of cloths, finances, schedules)

   Synonym: stram

2. (music) tight (keeping time and with musical understanding)

References

• “tight” in Den Danske Ordbog

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English tight.

Noun

tight m (invariable)

1. morning suit, morning dress

English

Etymology

From Middle English rigide, from Latin rigidus (“stiff”), from rige? (“I am stiff”). Compare rigor. Merged with Middle English rigged, rygged, rugged (“upright like a spine, rigid”, literally “ridged”), from ridge +? -ed.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???d??d/
• Rhymes: -?d??d

Adjective

rigid (comparative rigider or more rigid, superlative rigidest or most rigid)

1. Stiff, rather than flexible.

   Synonym: inflexible

   Antonym: flexible

2. Fixed, rather than moving.
   • 2011, David Foster Wallace, The Pale King,Penguin Books, page 5:

     A sunflower, four more, one bowed, and horses in the distance standing rigid and still as toys.

   Antonym: moving

3. Rigorous and unbending.
4. Uncompromising.

   Antonym: compromising

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

rigid (plural rigids)

1. (aviation) An airship whose shape is maintained solely by an internal and/or external rigid structural framework, without using internal gas pressure to stiffen the vehicle (the lifting gas is at atmospheric pressure); typically also equipped with multiple redundant gasbags, unlike other types of airship.

2. A bicycle with no suspension system.

Synonyms

(airship):

• Zeppelin (broad sense)

Hyponyms

(airship):

• Zeppelin (narrow sense)

Hypernyms

(airship):

• dirigible

Coordinate terms

(airship):

• nonrigid
• semirigid

References

• rigid in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• rigid in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Old Irish

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *regeti (“to stretch”), from Proto-Indo-European *h?re?- (“to straighten, right oneself”).

Verb

rigid (conjunct ·reig or ·raig)

1. to stretch, to distend
   • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 20^a23

Inflection

Derived terms

Descendants

• Middle Irish: rigid
  • Irish: righ (“to stretch”)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Celtic *rigeti (“bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *rey?- (“to bind, reach”).

Verb

rigid (conjunct ·rig)

1. to rule, direct
   • c. 700, Críth Gablach, published in Críth Gablach (1941, Dublin: Stationery Office), edited by Daniel Anthony Binchy, §30

   • c. 800-840, Orthanach, A Chóicid chóem Chairpri chrúaid from the Book of Leinster, LL line 6094

Derived terms

Descendants

• Middle Irish: rigid

References

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019) , “1 rigid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language (both etymologies)
• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019) , “2 rigid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language (as root of derivatives of Etymology 2)

Romanian

Etymology

From French rigide.

Adjective

rigid m or n (feminine singular rigid?, masculine plural rigizi, feminine and neuter plural rigide)

1. rigid

Declension

Related terms

• rigiditate