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rough

rough

 
 
pronunciation:
ruhf
parts of speech:
adjective, noun, adverb, transitive verb
phrases:
rough it
features:
Word Combinations (adjective, verb), Homophone Note, Word Builder, Word Explorer
part of speech: adjective
inflections: rougher, roughest
definition 1: having an uneven surface; not smooth; coarse.
rough groundrough cloth
synonyms:
coarse, irregular, uneven
antonyms:
smooth, soft
similar words:
bumpy, corrugated, craggy, grainy, gritty, harsh, jagged, ragged, rocky, rugged, scratchy
definition 2: characterized by difficult conditions.
The rough sea rocked the ship.Lots of snow made for a rough winter.
synonyms:
difficult, harsh, violent
antonyms:
gentle, smooth
similar words:
hard, rigorous, rude, rugged, severe, tempestuous, turbulent
definition 3: characterized by rudeness, violence, or disorderliness.
His so-called friends are a rough bunch of people.His rough manner made many people fear him.
synonyms:
tough
antonyms:
gentle, nice, tender
similar words:
aggressive, bad, boisterous, coarse, dangerous, disorderly, heavy, raucous, rowdy, unruly, violent, wild
definition 4: without the comforts of ordinary daily life.
Life was rough for the family during those hard economic times.A prison is a rough place.
similar words:
crude, primitive, rough-and-ready
definition 5: unfinished or imperfect.
Over the summer, she managed to put together a rough draft for her new book.We didn't want to pay the painters for the rough job they did on our house.I had only a rough idea of what he was talking about.
synonyms:
draft, imperfect, incomplete, unfinished
antonyms:
finished
similar words:
crude, partial, preliminary, ragged, sketchy
definition 6: approximate.
The carpenter gave us a rough estimate for the work to be done.
synonyms:
approximate, proximate, rude
antonyms:
exact, nice
similar words:
close, comparable, comparative, crude, imprecise, inexact, near, sketchy, vague
definition 7: requiring physical strength or stamina.
Clearing the field of rocks was rough work.
synonyms:
arduous, strenuous
similar words:
demanding, difficult, hard, laborious, physical, toilsome, tough
definition 8: unpleasant to the sense of hearing or sense of taste.
Her voice was judged to be too rough to make the recording.
synonyms:
acrid, bitter, discordant, harsh, hoarse, husky, raspy, strident
antonyms:
smooth
similar words:
biting, inharmonious, ragged, raucous, sharp, sour, tart
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
 
part of speech: noun
definition 1: uneven ground.
The ball was hit badly and landed in the rough.
synonyms:
irregular
definition 2: anything in an unrefined or unfinished state, such as a draft or sketch.
synonyms:
draft, outline, sketch
 
part of speech: adverb
inflections: rougher, roughest
definition: in a rough manner.
He's a bully who treats even his friends rough.
synonyms:
hard, harshly
similar words:
sharply
 
part of speech: transitive verb
inflections: roughs, roughing, roughed
definition 1: to cause to be uneven or coarse; roughen (often fol. by "up").
You'll need to rough up the surface before you paint.
synonyms:
coarsen, roughen
antonyms:
smooth
definition 2: to physically abuse, usually for the purpose of threatening or gaining information (often fol. by "up").
We had to rough him up a bit before he'd talk.
synonyms:
batter, beat, slap around
similar words:
abuse, manhandle, misuse, pummel, thrash
definition 3: to create in a preliminary form; sketch (sometimes fol. by "out").
Together we roughed out a new design.
synonyms:
draft, outline, sketch
similar words:
adumbrate, delineate, skeletonize
Word CombinationsSubscriber feature About this feature
phrase: rough it
derivations: roughly (adv.), roughness (n.)
Homophone Note
Are you looking for the word ruff (a collar)? Rough and ruff sound alike but have different meanings.
Word Builder: rough +
  • roughly:
    in a rough way.
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