Adjacent Words

Rough definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ROUGH, a. [L. raucus. Eng. rye, that is rough. L. ruga, a wrinkle. Gr. to snore. L. ruga, a wrinkle, a ridge. See Ridge. The primary sense is to stretch or strain; but applied to roughness or wrinkling, it is to draw or contract, a straining together.]
1. Having inequalities, small ridges or points on the surface; not smooth or plane; as a rough board, a rough stone; rough cloth.
2. Stony; abounding with stones and stumps; as rough land; or simply with stones; as a rough road.
3. Not wrought or polished; as a rough diamond.
4. Thrown into huge waves; violently agitated; as a rough sea.
5. Tempestuous; stormy; boisterous; as rough weather.
6. Austere to the taste; harsh; as rough wine.
7. Harsh to the ear; grating; jarring; unharmonious; as rough sounds; rough numbers.
8. Rugged of temper; severe; austere; rude; not mild or courteous.
A fiend, a fury, pitiless and rough.
9. Coarse in manners; rude.
A surly boatman, rough as seas and wind.
10. Harsh; violent; not easy; as a rough remedy.
11. Hard featured; not delicate; as a rough visage.
12. Harsh; severe; uncivil; as rough usage.
13. Terrible; dreadful.
On the rough edge of battle, ere it join'd, Satan advanc'd.
14. Rugged; disordered in appearance; coarse.
Rough from the tossing surge Ulysses moves.
15. Hairy; shaggy; covered with hairs, bristles and the like.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: having or caused by an irregular surface; "trees with rough bark"; "rough ground"; "rough skin"; "rough blankets"; "his unsmooth face" [syn: rough, unsmooth] [ant: smooth]
2: (of persons or behavior) lacking refinement or finesse; "she was a diamond in the rough"; "rough manners"
3: not quite exact or correct; "the approximate time was 10 o'clock"; "a rough guess"; "a ballpark estimate" [syn: approximate, approximative, rough]
4: full of hardship or trials; "the rocky road to success"; "they were having a rough time" [syn: rocky, rough]
5: violently agitated and turbulent; "boisterous winds and waves"; "the fierce thunders roar me their music"- Ezra Pound; "rough weather"; "rough seas" [syn: boisterous, fierce, rough]
6: unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound; "a gravelly voice" [syn: grating, gravelly, rasping, raspy, rough, scratchy]
7: ready and able to resort to force or violence; "pugnacious spirits...lamented that there was so little prospect of an exhilarating disturbance"- Herman Melville; "they were rough and determined fighting men" [syn: pugnacious, rough]
8: of the margin of a leaf shape; having the edge cut or fringed or scalloped [ant: smooth]
9: causing or characterized by jolts and irregular movements; "a rough ride" [syn: rough, rocky, bumpy, jolty, jolting, jumpy] [ant: smooth]
10: not shaped by cutting or trimming; "an uncut diamond"; "rough gemstones" [syn: uncut, rough] [ant: cut]
11: not carefully or expertly made; "managed to make a crude splint"; "a crude cabin of logs with bark still on them"; "rough carpentry" [syn: crude, rough]
12: not perfected; "a rough draft"; "a few rough sketches"
13: unpleasantly stern; "wild and harsh country full of hot sand and cactus"; "the nomad life is rough and hazardous" [syn: harsh, rough]
14: unkind or cruel or uncivil; "had harsh words"; "a harsh and unlovable old tyrant"; "a rough answer" [syn: harsh, rough] n
1: the part of a golf course bordering the fairway where the grass is not cut short v
1: prepare in preliminary or sketchy form [syn: rough in, rough, rough out] adv
1: with roughness or violence (`rough' is an informal variant for `roughly'); "he was pushed roughly aside"; "they treated him rough" [syn: roughly, rough]
2: with rough motion as over a rough surface; "ride rough" [syn: roughly, rough]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective (rougher; roughest) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English r?h; akin to Old High German r?h rough, Lithuanian raukas wrinkle Date: before 12th century 1. a. marked by inequalities, ridges, or projections on the surface ; coarse b. covered with or made up of coarse and often shaggy hair <rough-coated collie> — compare smooth, wirehaired c. (1) having a broken, uneven, or bumpy surface <rough terrain> (2) difficult to travel through or penetrate ; wild <into the rough woods — P. B. Shelley> 2. a. turbulent, tempestuous <rough seas> b. (1) characterized by harshness, violence, or force (2) presenting a challenge ; difficult <rough to deal with — R. M. McAlmon> 3. coarse or rugged in character or appearance: as a. harsh to the ear b. crude in style or expression c. indelicate d. marked by a lack of refinement or grace ; uncouth 4. a. crude, unfinished <rough carpentry> b. executed or ventured hastily, tentatively, or imperfectly <a rough draft> <rough estimate>; also approximate <a rough idea> • roughish adjective • roughness noun Synonyms: rough, harsh, uneven, rugged, scabrous mean not smooth or even. rough implies points, bristles, ridges, or projections on the surface <a rough wooden board>. harsh implies a surface or texture distinctly unpleasant to the touch <a harsh fabric that chafes the skin>. uneven implies a lack of uniformity in height, breadth, or quality <an old house with uneven floors>. rugged implies irregularity or roughness of land surface and connotes difficulty of travel <a rugged landscape>. scabrous implies scaliness or prickliness of surface <a scabrous leaf>. Synonym: see in addition rude. II. adverb Date: 14th century 1. roughly 1 2. British without usual conveniences; especially without proper shelter <become homeless and have to sleep rough — London Times> III. noun Date: 15th century 1. uneven ground covered with high grass, brush, and stones; specifically such ground bordering a golf fairway 2. the rugged or disagreeable side or aspect <hiking-camping admirers of nature in the rough — Eleanor Stirling> 3. a. something in a crude, unfinished, or preliminary state b. broad outline ; general terms <the question…has been discussed in rough — Manchester Guardian Weekly> c. a hasty preliminary drawing or layout 4. rowdy IV. transitive verb Date: 1763 1. roughen 2. a. to subject to abuse ; manhandle, beat — usually used with up b. to subject to unnecessary and intentional violence in a sport <a penalty for roughing the passer> c. shell 3 — used with up <was roughed up for six runs> 3. to calk or otherwise roughen (a horse's shoes) to prevent slipping 4. a. to shape, make, or dress in a rough or preliminary way b. to indicate the chief lines of <rough out the structure of a building> • rougher noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj., adv., n., & v. --adj. 1 a having an uneven or irregular surface, not smooth or level or polished. b Tennis applied to the side of a racket from which the twisted gut projects. 2 (of ground, country, etc.) having many bumps, obstacles, etc. 3 a hairy, shaggy. b (of cloth) coarse in texture. 4 a (of a person or behaviour) not mild or quiet or gentle; boisterous, unrestrained (rough manners; rough play). b (of language etc.) coarse, indelicate. c (of wine etc.) sharp or harsh in taste. 5 (of the sea, weather, etc.) violent, stormy. 6 disorderly, riotous (a rough part of town). 7 harsh, insensitive, inconsiderate (rough words; rough treatment). 8 a unpleasant, severe, demanding (had a rough time). b unfortunate, unreasonable, undeserved (had rough luck). c (foll. by on) hard or unfair towards. 9 lacking finish, elaboration, comfort, etc. (rough lodgings; a rough welcome). 10 incomplete, rudimentary (a rough attempt; a rough makeshift). 11 a inexact, approximate, preliminary (a rough estimate; a rough sketch). b (of stationery etc.) for use in writing rough notes etc. 12 colloq. a ill, unwell (am feeling rough). b depressed, dejected. --adv. in a rough manner (the land should be ploughed rough; play rough). --n. 1 (usu. prec. by the) a hard part or aspect of life; hardship (take the rough with the smooth). 2 rough ground (over rough and smooth). 3 a rough or violent person (met a bunch of roughs). 4 Golf rough ground off the fairway between tee and green. 5 an unfinished or provisional or natural state (have written it in rough; shaped from the rough). 6 (prec. by the) the general way or tendency (is true in the rough). --v.tr. 1 (foll. by up) ruffle (feathers, hair, etc.) by rubbing against the grain. 2 a (foll. by out) shape or plan roughly. b (foll. by in) sketch roughly. 3 give the first shaping to (a gun, lens, etc.). Phrases and idioms: rough-and-ready rough or crude but effective; not elaborate or over-particular. rough-and-tumble adj. irregular, scrambling, disorderly. --n. a haphazard fight; a scuffle. rough breathing see BREATHING. rough coat a first coat of plaster applied to a surface. rough copy 1 a first or original draft. 2 a copy of a picture etc. showing only the essential features. rough deal hard or unfair treatment. rough diamond 1 an uncut diamond. 2 a person of good nature but rough manners. rough-dry (-dries, -dried) dry (clothes) without ironing. the rough edge (or side) of one's tongue severe or harsh words. rough-handle treat or handle roughly. rough-hew (past part. -hewed or -hewn) shape out roughly; give crude form to. rough-hewn uncouth, unrefined. rough house sl. a disturbance or row; boisterous play. rough-house v. sl. 1 tr. handle (a person) roughly. 2 intr. make a disturbance; act violently. rough it do without basic comforts. rough justice 1 treatment that is approximately fair. 2 treatment that is not at all fair. rough passage 1 a crossing over rough sea. 2 a difficult time or experience. rough ride a difficult time or experience. rough-rider a person who breaks in or can ride unbroken horses. rough stuff colloq. boisterous or violent behaviour. rough tongue a habit of rudeness in speaking. rough trade sl. a tough or sadistic element among male homosexuals. rough up sl. treat (a person) with violence; attack violently. rough work 1 preliminary or provisional work. 2 colloq. violence. 3 a task requiring the use of force. sleep rough sleep outdoors, or not in a proper bed. Derivatives: roughness n. Etymology: OE ruh f. WG

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rough Rough, a. [Compar. Rougher; superl. Roughest.] [OE. rou?, rou, row, rugh, ruh, AS. r?h; akin to LG. rug, D. rug, D. ruig, ruw, OHG. r?h, G. rauh, rauch; cf. Lith. raukas wrinkle, rukti to wrinkle. [root] 18. Cf. Rug, n.] 1. Having inequalities, small ridges, or points, on the surface; not smooth or plain; as, a rough board; a rough stone; rough cloth. Specifically: (a) Not level; having a broken surface; uneven; -- said of a piece of land, or of a road. ``Rough, uneven ways.'' --Shak. (b) Not polished; uncut; -- said of a gem; as, a rough diamond. (c) Tossed in waves; boisterous; high; -- said of a sea or other piece of water. More unequal than the roughest sea. --T. Burnet. (d) Marked by coarseness; shaggy; ragged; disordered; -- said of dress, appearance, or the like; as, a rough coat. ``A visage rough.'' --Dryden. ``Roughsatyrs.'' --Milton. 2. Hence, figuratively, lacking refinement, gentleness, or polish. Specifically: (a) Not courteous or kind; harsh; rude; uncivil; as, a rough temper. A fiend, a fury, pitiless and rough. --Shak. A surly boatman, rough as wayes or winds. --Prior. (b) Marked by severity or violence; harsh; hard; as, rough measures or actions. On the rough edge of battle. --Milton. A quicker and rougher remedy. --Clarendon. Kind words prevent a good deal of that perverseness which rough and imperious usage often produces. --Locke. (c) Loud and hoarse; offensive to the ear; harsh; grating; -- said of sound, voice, and the like; as, a rough tone; rough numbers. --Pope. (d) Austere; harsh to the taste; as, rough wine. (e) Tempestuous; boisterous; stormy; as, rough weather; a rough day. He stayeth his rough wind. --Isa. xxvii. 8. Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. --Shak. (f) Hastily or carelessly done; wanting finish; incomplete; as, a rough estimate; a rough draught. Rough diamond, an uncut diamond; hence, colloquially, a person of intrinsic worth under a rude exterior.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rough Rough, n. 1. Boisterous weather. [Obs.] --Fletcher. 2. A rude fellow; a coarse bully; a rowdy. In the rough, in an unwrought or rude condition; unpolished; as, a diamond or a sketch in the rough. Contemplating the people in the rough. --Mrs. Browning.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rough Rough, adv. In a rough manner; rudely; roughly. Sleeping rough on the trenches, and dying stubbornly in their boats. --Sir W. Scott.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rough Rough, v. t. 1. To render rough; to roughen. 2. To break in, as a horse, especially for military purposes. --Crabb. 3. To cut or make in a hasty, rough manner; -- with out; as, to rough out a carving, a sketch. Roughing rolls, rolls for reducing, in a rough manner, a bloom of iron to bars. To rough it, to endure hard conditions of living; to live without ordinary comforts.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(rougher, roughest, roughs, roughing, roughed) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If a surface is rough, it is uneven and not smooth. His hands were rough and calloused, from years of karate practice... ? smooth ADJ • roughness She rested her cheek against the roughness of his jacket. 2. You say that people or their actions are rough when they use too much force and not enough care or gentleness. Rugby's a rough game at the best of times... ? gentle ADJ • roughly A hand roughly pushed him aside. ADV • roughness He regretted his roughness. N-UNCOUNT 3. A rough area, city, school, or other place is unpleasant and dangerous because there is a lot of violence or crime there. It was quite a rough part of our town. ADJ 4. If you say that someone has had a rough time, you mean that they have had some difficult or unpleasant experiences. All women have a rough time in our society... = tough ADJ: usu ADJ n 5. If you feel rough, you feel ill. (BRIT INFORMAL) The virus won't go away and the lad is still feeling a bit rough. ADJ: v-link ADJ 6. A rough calculation or guess is approximately correct, but not exact. We were only able to make a rough estimate of how much fuel would be required... = approximate ADJ: usu ADJ n • roughly Gambling and tourism pay roughly half the entire state budget... = approximately ADV: ADV with cl/group 7. If you give someone a rough idea, description, or drawing of something, you indicate only the most important features, without much detail. I've got a rough idea of what he looks like... ADJ • roughly He knew roughly what was about to be said... Roughly speaking, a scientific humanist is somebody who believes in science and in humanity but not in God. ADV: ADV with cl/group, ADV after v 8. You can say that something is rough when it is not neat and well made. ...a rough wooden table. ADJ • roughly Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the casserole. ADV: ADV with v 9. If the sea or the weather at sea is rough, the weather is windy or stormy and there are very big waves. A fishing vessel and a cargo ship collided in rough seas. ? calm ADJ 10. When people sleep or live rough, they sleep out of doors, usually because they have no home. (BRIT) It makes me so sad when I see young people begging or sleeping rough on the streets. ADV: ADV after v 11. If you have to rough it, you have to live without the possessions and comforts that you normally have. You won't be roughing it; each room comes equipped with a telephone and a 3-channel radio. VERB: V it 12. rough justice: see justice

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. Uneven, rugged, craggy, cragged, jagged, scraggy, scabrous. 2. Unhewn, unwrought, unfashioned, formless, shapeless. 3. Unpolished (as a gem), uncut, unfinished. 4. Shaggy, hairy, coarse, hirsute, bristly, ragged, disordered. 5. Coarse, indelicate, rude, uncivil, impolite, ungracious, bearish, churlish, gruff. 6. Harsh, sharp, severe, violent. 7. Tart, sour, crabbed, hard. 8. Inharmonious, discordant, jarring, unmusical, scabrous, grating. 9. Tempestuous, boisterous, stormy, inclement. 10. Wild, boisterous, untamed. 11. Rugged, harsh, austere, uncourteous, unpolished, blunt, bluff, unrefined, burly. 12. Harsh, severe, uncivil, unfeeling, hard, cruel. 13. Rude, unpolished. 14. Vague, crude. II. n. Rowdy, ruffian, bully, coarse fellow.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To lie rough; to lie all night in one's clothes: called also roughing it. Likewise to sleep on the bare deck of a ship, when the person is commonly advised to chuse the softest plank.

Moby Thesaurus

Babbitt, Herculean, Philistine, Spartan, abrupt, abstruse, abuse, acerb, acerbic, acid, acidulous, acrid, acrimonious, acute, aggressive, agitated, amaroidal, approximate, arduous, arrested, arriviste, asperous, assault, astringent, attack, austere, backward, bad, batter, battler, bearish, beastly, beat up, belabor, belligerent, belted knight, bickerer, biting, bitter, bitter as gall, blade, block out, blueprint, bluff, blunt, blustering, blustery, boisterous, boor, boss, bouncy, bounder, bourgeois, brash, brassy, bravo, brawler, brazen, brief, broken, broken ground, broken water, brokenly, brouillon, bruise, brusque, brutal, brutally, brutishly, bucko, buffet, bully, bullyboy, bumpy, cacophonous, cad, capricious, careening, cartoon, catchy, caustic, cavalier, changeable, changing, chart, choked, chop, choppily, choppy, churl, churlish, clown, coarse, coarse-grained, coarsen, combatant, competitor, complex, contender, contestant, copy, corduroy, corduroy road, corrugated, corrugation, cracked, cragged, craggy, crass, critical, croaking, croaky, cross-grained, crude, cruel, crusty, cursory, curt, cutthroat, cutting, delicate, delineation, demanding, design, desperado, desultory, deviating, deviative, deviatory, devil, diagram, different, difficile, difficult, dirty, disconnected, discontinuous, discordant, discourteous, disorderly, disputant, disrespectful, divaricate, divergent, diversified, do violence to, do wrong by, do wrong to, double-edged, dour, draft, drastic, drawing, dry, duelist, earthy, ebauche, eccentric, edged, elevation, embryonic, enforcer, epicier, erose, erratic, escharotic, esquisse, exacting, excessive, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, fencer, feuder, fierce, fighter, fighting cock, figure, firm, fitful, flickering, fluctuating, foggy, foilsman, formidable, formless, furious, gamecock, gaudy, general, gladiator, gnarl, goon, goose bumps, goose pimples, gooseflesh, gorilla, grained, grainy, granular, granulate, granulated, graph, grating, great, grim, gritty, gross, ground plan, groundling, gruff, gunman, guttering, guttersnipe, guttural, hairy, halting, hard, hard-earned, hard-fought, harsh, harsh-sounding, harum-scarum, hasty, hatchet man, hazy, heavy, hell-raiser, hellcat, herky-jerky, heteroclite, hoarse, homespun, hood, hooligan, horripilant, horripilate, horripilation, house plan, husky, ichnography, ill-bred, ill-bred fellow, ill-mannered, ill-treat, ill-use, immethodical, immoderate, imperfect, impolite, improper, impulsive, in embryo, in ovo, in the rough, incisive, inclement, incomplete, inconsiderate, inconsistent, inconstant, indecent, indelicate, inelegant, inequal, inexact, inharmonious, injure, intemperate, intense, intermittent, intermitting, intricate, ironbound, irregular, irregularly, irritating, jagged, jaggedly, jarring, jawbreaking, jerky, jogglety, joggling, joggly, jolting, jolty, jouster, keen, killer, knight, knob, knock about, knock-down-and-drag-out, knockabout, knotted, knotty, laborious, lambaste, lay on, linsey-woolsey, looby, lop, loud, lout, loutish, low fellow, lumpy, lurching, mad dog, malodorous, maltreat, manhandle, mark out, maul, mean, mercurial, meretricious, metallic, militant, mishandle, mistreat, mock-up, molest, mordacious, mordant, motley, mucker, mug, mutable, no picnic, nonconformist, nonstandard, nonuniform, nose-tickling, not easy, nouveau riche, obscene, operose, outline, outrage, outrageous, oversimple, parvenu, patchy, pattern, peasant, penetrating, piercing, pimple, pimply, piquant, pitted, plot, plug-ugly, pluralistic, pocky, poignant, pommel, pornographic, potholed, profile, projection, proximate, pummel, pungent, punk, quarreler, quick, ragged, raggedly, raging, rambling, rambunctious, rampageous, rank, rasping, raucid, raucous, raw, reductionistic, reductive, ribald, ridiculous, rigorous, rioter, ripple, ripply, rival, roiled, roisterous, rollicking, rotten, rough draft, rough up, rough-and-ready, rough-and-tumble, rough-cast, rough-grained, rough-hewn, roughcast, roughen, roughhewn, roughly, roughneck, roupy, rowdy, rude, rudimental, rudimentary, ruffian, ruffled, rugged, rutted, rutty, sabreur, sandpaper, savage, savagely, scabrous, scathing, scraggy, scrapper, scrappy, scuffler, set with thorns, severe, shagged, shaggy, shapeless, sharp, short, simplistic, skeleton, sketch, sketchy, smutty, snatchy, snippy, solid, sour, spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, spastic, spiny, splitting, sporadic, spotty, squabbler, squawking, squawky, stabbing, staggering, steep, stern, stertorous, stinging, stormy, strangled, strenuous, strident, stridulous, stringent, strong arm, strong-arm man, strong-armer, struggler, stud, stunted, surly, swashbuckler, sword, swordplayer, swordsman, table, tart, tempestuous, textured, thick, thorny, thrash, throaty, thug, ticklish, tilter, tinny, toilsome, tough, trace, trenchant, tricksy, tricky, truculent, trying, turbulent, tussler, unbecoming, unblown, uncertain, uncivil, uncivilized, uncompleted, unconscionable, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, uncut, undecorous, underdeveloped, undeveloped, undressed, unequable, unequal, uneven, unevenly, unfair, unfashioned, unfeeling, unfinished, unformed, unfortunate, ungentle, ungentlemanly, ungodly, ungracious, unhewn, unjust, unkempt, unlabored, unladylike, unlevel, unlicked, unlucky, unmethodical, unmetrical, unmusical, unorthodox, unpleasant, unpolished, unprocessed, unrefined, unregular, unrhythmical, unseemly, unsettled, unshaped, unsmooth, unsparing, unstable, unsteady, unsystematic, untreated, ununiform, unworked, unwrought, uphill, upstart, vague, variable, variegated, variform, various, varying, veering, vehement, venomous, violent, violently, virulent, vitriolic, vulgar, vulgarian, vulgarist, wallop, wandering, washboard, wavering, wicked, wild, wimpled, wobbling, wobbly, working drawing, wrangler, yahoo, yokel