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rough definition

rough (ruf)

adjective

    1. not smooth or level; having bumps, projections, etc.; uneven a rough surface
    2. not easily traveled over or through because rocky, overgrown, wild, etc. rough country
  2. shaggy or bristly an animal with a rough coat
  3. characterized by violent action, motion, agitation, disturbance, or irregularity; specif.,
    1. stormy; tempestuous rough weather
    2. boisterous or disorderly rough play
  4. harsh, rude, brutal, etc.; not gentle or mild a rough temper
  5. sounding harsh; discordant; jarring
  6. tasting harsh or astringent rough wine
  7. coarse, as texture, cloth, food, etc.
  8. coarse in manner, tastes, etc.; lacking refinement or culture rough men, rough language
  9. lacking refinements, comforts, and conveniences the rough life of a pioneer
  10. not refined, polished, or prepared; natural, crude, etc. a rough diamond
  11. not finished, elaborated, perfected, etc. a rough sketch
  12. not worked out in detail; without claim to be exact or complete; approximate a rough estimate
  13. requiring muscular energy rather than skill or intelligence rough labor
  14. Informal difficult, severe, or disagreeable a rough time
  15. Phonet. articulated with an aspirate; having the sound (h)

Etymology: ME ruh, rugh < OE ruh, akin to Ger rauh < IE *reuk < base *reu-, to tear, tear out (> rug, rotten): prob. basic sense “hairy, woolly”

noun

  1. rough ground
  2. rough material or condition
  3. the rough part, aspect, etc. of something
  4. ☆ a rough sketch or draft
  5. Chiefly Brit. a rough person; rowdy; tough
  6. Golf any part of the course where grass, weeds, etc. are allowed to grow, uncut, forming a hazard or obstacle

adverb

  1. in a rough manner; roughly
  2. Brit. without shelter; outdoors to sleep rough

transitive verb

  1. to make rough; roughen: often with up
    1. to handle or treat roughly or brutally: usually with up
    2. Football, etc. to subject (an opponent) to intentional and unnecessary roughness
  3. to make, fashion, sketch, shape, or cut roughly: usually with in or out to rough out a scheme
  4. to apply some preparatory or preliminary process or treatment to

intransitive verb

  1. Rare to become rough
  2. to behave roughly a penalty for roughing

Related Forms:

rough Idioms

in the rough

in a rough or crude state

rough it

to live without customary comforts and conveniences, as in camping

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms rough idiom

rough Synonyms

rough

modif.

  1. Not smooth

    unequal, broken, coarse, choppy, ruffled, uneven, ridged, rugged, scabrous, irregular, unsanded, needing sanding, needing finishing, needing smoothing, not sanded, not smoothed, not finished, unfinished, lacking the finishing touches, bumpy, rocky, stony, jagged, grinding, knobby, sharpening, cutting, sharp, crinkled, crumpled, rumpled, scraggly, scraggy, hairy, shaggy, hirsute, bushy, tufted, bearded, woolly, nappy, unshaven, unshorn, gnarled, knotty, nodose, bristly.

    Antonyms smooth, level*, even. *

  2. Not gentle

    harsh, strict, stern; see severe 2.

  3. Crude

    boorish, uncivil, uncultivated; see coarse 2, rude 1.

  4. Not quiet

    buffeting, stormy, tumultuous; see stormy 1, turbulent.

  5. Unfinished

    incomplete, imperfect, unpolished; see crude 1, unfinished 1.

  6. Approximate

    inexact, imprecise, estimated; see approximate.


rough

n.

  1. Any roughness

    unevenness, irregularity, bumpiness; see roughness 1.

  2. In golf, any unkempt part of the course

    tall grass, weeds, brush, stoniness, off the fairway, fog*, jungle*.

in the rough

unfinished, unrefined, rough; see crude 1, unfinished 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

rough Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • pretty: I also felt pretty rough, I think Ive had a bit of a cold.

Preposition: on

  • street: A reduction of the number of people sleeping rough on the streets of Oxford from 52 in June 1999 to 13 in September 2004.

Preposition: around

  • edge: Some of the detailing is also rough around the edges.

Modifies a noun

  • sleeper: Unlike the big cities, rough sleepers are rarely seen.

Used with adjective complement

  • sleep: I hated sleeping rough " " I've been able to learn new computer skills, go to college.
rough usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

rough quotes

You, for example, clever to a fault, The rough and ready man who write apace, Read somewhat seldomer, think perhaps even less.

-Browning, Robert

If they want rough, then I get the phone call.

-Burke, Kathy

The real world is not easy to live in. It is rough; it is slippery. Without the most clear-eyed adjustments we fall and get crushed. A man must stay sober: not always, but most of the time.

-Day, Clarence Shepard

rough quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"rough." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/rough>

APA Style

rough. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/rough

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