Rough Definition

rŭf
roughed, roughest, roughing, roughs, rougher
adjective
roughest, rougher
Not smooth or level; having bumps, projections, etc.; uneven.
A rough surface.
Webster's New World
Not easily traveled over or through because rocky, overgrown, wild, etc.
Rough country.
Webster's New World
Shaggy or bristly.
An animal with a rough coat.
Webster's New World
Difficult to travel over or through.
The rough terrain of the highlands.
American Heritage
Characterized by violent action, motion, agitation, disturbance, or irregularity.
Webster's New World
noun
Rough ground.
Webster's New World
Rugged overgrown terrain.
American Heritage
The rough part, aspect, etc. of something.
Webster's New World
The area of a golf hole in which the grass is left unmowed or is cut to a length longer than that of the fairway.
American Heritage
Rough material or condition.
Webster's New World
verb
roughed, roughing, roughs
To become rough.
Webster's New World
To make rough; roughen.
Webster's New World
To handle or treat roughly or brutally.
Webster's New World
To behave roughly.
A penalty for roughing.
Webster's New World
To subject (an opponent) to intentional and unnecessary roughness.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
adverb
In a rough manner; roughly.
Webster's New World
Without shelter; outdoors.
To sleep rough.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
idiom
rough it
  • To live without the usual comforts and conveniences:

    roughed it in a small hunting shack.

American Heritage
in the rough
  • in a rough or crude state
Webster's New World
rough it
  • to live without customary comforts and conveniences, as in camping
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Rough

Noun

Singular:
rough
Plural:
roughs

Adjective

Base Form:
rough
Comparative:
rougher
Superlative:
roughest

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Rough

Origin of Rough

  • From Old English rÅ«h, from Proto-Germanic *rÅ«haz, cognate with West Frisian rûch (“rough"), Low Saxon (Low German) ruuch (“rough"), High German rau (“rough"), (old spelling) rauh (“rough"), Middle High German rûch (“rough"), (variants) rûhe, rûh, rouch.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old English rūh

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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