coarse Hear it!

coarse Definition

coarse (kôrs)

adjective coars′er, coars′·est

  1. of inferior or poor quality; common coarse fare
  2. consisting of rather large elements or particles coarse sand
  3. not fine or delicate in texture, structure, form, etc.; rough; harsh coarse features, coarse cloth
  4. for rough or crude work or results a coarse file, coarse measurements
  5. lacking in refinement or good taste; vulgar; crude a coarse joke

Etymology: specialized var. of course in sense of “ordinary or usual order” as in of course

coarse Related Forms

coarse′ly adverb coarse′·ness noun

coarse Synonyms

coarse

modif.

  1. Not fine or smooth

    rough, harsh, grainy, granular; see crude 1, rough 1.

  2. Lacking in refinement

    vulgar, crude, unrefined, indelicate, unpolished, rude, rough, uncouth, crass, gross, obscene, ribald, indecent; see also lewd 1, ribald, rude 1, vulgar 1.

  3. Of poor quality

    inferior, second-rate, common; see common 1, poor 2.

coarse, in this comparison, implies such a lack of refinement in manners or speech as to be offensive to one's aesthetic or moral sense coarse laughter; gross suggests a crudeness or coarseness that is brutish or repellent gross table manners; indelicate suggests impropriety, immodesty, or tactlessness an indelicate remark; vulgar emphasizes a lack of culture, refinement, or good taste vulgar ostentation, or may imply indecency vulgar language; obscene is used of that which is offensive to decency and implies lewdness obscene gestures; ribald suggests such mild indecency or lewdness as might bring laughter from those who are not too squeamish ribald jokes

coarse Usage Examples

Infinitive complement

fine: Purification should therefore be carried out in steps, from coarse to fine.

Modifies a noun

  • angling: Carlisle & District Coarse Angling Club Covering coarse angling in the Cumbria area.
  • angler: The senior coarse anglers fished a match on Sunday at the Lily Pools in Ledbury.
  • fishing: Coarse fishing is now some of the finest in England.
  • grit: The rest of the pot is then filled with coarse grit.
  • sediment: By contrast, the annual yield of coarse sediment is considered to be less than 500m 3.
  • ware: It may be that poorer people could only afford to buy the coarse wares.

Modifying Another Word

  • relatively: This all seemed to fit with what was already known, albeit using maps with a relatively coarse Most to Least marking.
  • fairly: Use a fairly coarse abrasive pad in new or good condition.
  • rather: Miroku Indeed, both of them are rather coarse, aren't they.
  • too: For many applications, however, the constraint they provide is too coarse.
  • slightly: Sword Sands are comparatively less well sorted and slightly coarser ( Dunn 1972 ) than Sinah Sands.
  • somewhat: About the same size as the preceding species, the leaves have a somewhat coarser flavor but make a very acceptable cooked vegetable.

Used with adjective complement

  • become: The grasses were also becoming quite coarse with a loss of small flowering plants.
  • have: On the right you will pass a number of young Silver Fir which have coarse, flattened needles set in two ranks.
  • use: In 1800 a West Linton weaver, Alexander Alexander, set up a water-powered woolen mill in the village, using coarse Tweeddale wool.
  • contain: Pink and white pegmatite typically occurs in veins and contains coarse grained quartz and feldspar.
  • include: Over the years he has broadened his techniques to incorporate all kinds of fishing including coarse, sea and game.