Does "rigid" mean "strict"?

Rigid can mean strict when describing rules, discipline, or behavior, but rigid and strict are not exactly same in all contexts, though they overlap. Rigid means stiff, inflexible, and unyielding, not bending or changing. Strict means demanding obedience to rules and precise, enforcing rules firmly. When describing rules, rigid rules and strict rules are similar, both meaning rules that are inflexible and must be followed exactly without exception. For example, rigid schedule and strict schedule both imply little flexibility. However, rigid can also describe physical objects that are stiff and do not bend, where strict would not apply, as in rigid board, you would not say strict board. And strict can describe person who enforces rules firmly, where rigid might describe person who is inflexible in thinking. So rigid means strict in context of rules and discipline, as synonym for inflexible and uncompromising, but rigid has broader meaning including physical stiffness where strict does not apply. So yes, rigid can mean strict for rules and behavior.