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rough

Rough means harsh and uneven. If you want to go driving in the rough terrain of rocky dirt roads, you'll need four-wheel drive and a stomach for bouncing.

Rough means coarse or bumpy, and can be used in many different ways. A few days after you shave, your skin will be rough with stubble. Rough seas are choppy and turbulent, and might make you seasick. On a rough day, lots of things go wrong. A rough person (who could be called "a rough") tends to get into fights. Someone raised on a farm in the mountains could be described as having a rough and rugged life.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: rough

1
 adjadv
having or caused by an irregular surface
with rough motion as over a rough surface
2
 adjadv
(of persons or behavior) lacking refinement or finesse
with roughness or violence (`rough' is an informal variant for `roughly')
3
 adjnv
not shaped by cutting or trimming
the part of a golf course bordering the fairway where the grass is not cut short
prepare in preliminary or sketchy form
4
 adj
full of hardship or trials
5
 adj
unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: rough
1

adj having or caused by an irregular surface

“trees with rough bark”
“rough ground”
“rough skin”
“rough blankets”
Synonyms:
unsmooth
uneven
not even or uniform as e.g. in shape or texture
unironed, wrinkled
(of linens or clothes) not ironed
unpolished
not carefully reworked or perfected or made smooth by polishing
irregular
contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice
coarse, harsh
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
nonslippery
not slippery; not likely to slip or skid
abrasive, scratchy
causing abrasion
alligatored, cracked
of paint or varnish; having the appearance of alligator hide
barky
resembling the rough bark of a tree
broken, rugged
topographically very uneven
bullate
of leaves; appearing puckered as if blistered
bumpy
covered with or full of bumps
chapped, cracked, roughened
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
corded, twilled
of textiles; having parallel raised lines
costate, ribbed
(of the surface) having a rough, riblike texture
cragged, craggy, hilly, mountainous
having hills and crags
crushed
treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance
homespun, nubbly, nubby, slubbed, tweedy
of textiles; having a rough surface
imbricate, imbricated
used especially of leaves or bracts; overlapping or layered as scales or shingles
lepidote, leprose, scabrous, scaly, scurfy
rough to the touch; covered with scales or scurf
squamulose
covered with tiny scales
lined, seamed
(used especially of skin) marked by lines or seams
pocked, pockmarked, potholed
used of paved surfaces having holes or pits
rock-ribbed, rockbound
abounding in or bordered by rocky cliffs or scarps
bouldered, bouldery, rocky, stony
abounding in rocks or stones
gravelly, pebbly, shingly
abounding in small stones
roughish
somewhat rough
rugose
of leaves; ridged or wrinkled
sandpapery
having the abrasive texture of sandpaper
saw-like
having rough edges that can be used for sawing
scabby
covered with scabs
shagged, shaggy
having a very rough nap or covered with hanging shags
coarse-textured, rough-textured, textured
having surface roughness
verrucose, wartlike, warty
(of skin) covered with warts or projections that resemble warts
Antonyms:
smooth
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
even
being level or straight or regular and without variation as e.g. in shape or texture; or being in the same plane or at the same height as something else (i.e. even with)
ironed
(of linens or clothes) smoothed with a hot iron
fine
of textures that are smooth to the touch or substances consisting of relatively small particles
slippery, slippy
causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide
creaseless, uncreased
used especially of fabrics
even-textured
having an even texture
fast
(of surfaces) conducive to rapid speeds
fine-textured, smooth-textured
having a smooth, fine-grained structure
glassy
resembling glass in smoothness and shininess and slickness
seamless, unlined, unseamed
smooth, especially of skin
aerodynamic, flowing, sleek, streamlined
designed or arranged to offer the least resistant to fluid flow
velvet, velvet-textured, velvety
smooth and soft to sight or hearing or touch or taste
show more antonyms...

adj of the margin of a leaf shape; having the edge cut or fringed or scalloped

Synonyms
simple, unsubdivided
(botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisions
compound
composed of more than one part
bidentate
having toothlike projections that are themselves toothed
biserrate
having saw-like notches with the notches themselves similarly notched
ciliate, ciliated
having a margin or fringe of hairlike projections
crenate, crenated, scalloped
having a margin with rounded scallops
crenulate, crenulated
having a margin with small rounded teeth
crispate
wavy or notched and curled very irregularly
dentate
having toothlike projections in the margin
denticulate
having a very finely toothed margin
emarginate
having a notched tip
erose, jagged, jaggy, notched, toothed
having an irregularly notched or toothed margin as though gnawed
fimbriate
having a fringe of slender processes
fringed, laciniate
having edges irregularly and finely slashed
lacerate, lacerated
irregularly slashed and jagged as if torn
pectinate
like a comb
rimose
having a surface covered with a network of cracks and small crevices
runcinate
having incised margins with the lobes or teeth pointing toward the base; as dandelion leaves
notched, saw-toothed, serrate, serrated, toothed
notched like a saw with teeth pointing toward the apex
serrulate
minutely serrated
spinose
having spines
Antonyms:
smooth
of the margin of a leaf shape; not broken up into teeth
simple, unsubdivided
(botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisions
compound
composed of more than one part
entire
(of leaves or petals) having a smooth edge; not broken up into teeth or lobes
repand
having a slightly undulating margin
sinuate
having a strongly waved margin alternately concave and convex
undulate
having a wavy margin and rippled surface
unnotched, untoothed
having no notches
show more antonyms...

adj violently agitated and turbulent

“rough weather”
“rough seas”
Synonyms:
boisterous, fierce
stormy
(especially of weather) affected or characterized by storms or commotion

adj causing or characterized by jolts and irregular movements

“a rough ride”
Synonyms:
bumpy, jolting, jolty, jumpy, rocky
Antonyms:
smooth
of motion that runs or flows or proceeds without jolts or turbulence

adv with rough motion as over a rough surface

“ride rough”
Synonyms:
roughly
2

adj (of persons or behavior) lacking refinement or finesse

“she was a diamond in the rough”
“rough manners”
Synonyms
unrefined
(used of persons and their behavior) not refined; uncouth

adj unkind or cruel or uncivil

“a rough answer”
Synonyms:
harsh
unkind
lacking kindness

adj ready and able to resort to force or violence

“they were rough and determined fighting men”
Synonyms:
pugnacious
aggressive
having or showing determination and energetic pursuit of your ends

adv with roughness or violence (`rough' is an informal variant for `roughly')

“they treated him rough”
Synonyms:
roughly
3

adj not shaped by cutting or trimming

“rough gemstones”
Synonyms:
uncut
unsheared
(used especially of fur or wool) not having been sheared
Antonyms:
cut
fashioned or shaped by cutting
cut out
having been cut out
hand-hewn, hewn
cut or shaped with hard blows of a heavy cutting instrument like an ax or chisel
sheared
(used especially of fur or wool) shaped or finished by cutting or trimming to a uniform length
slashed
having long and narrow ornamental cuts showing an underlying fabric
show more antonyms...

adj not carefully or expertly made

“rough carpentry”
Synonyms:
crude
unskilled
not having or showing or requiring special skill or proficiency

adj not perfected

“a rough draft”
“a few rough sketches”
Synonyms
unpolished
not carefully reworked or perfected or made smooth by polishing

adj not quite exact or correct

“a rough guess”
Synonyms:
approximate, approximative
inexact
not exact

n the part of a golf course bordering the fairway where the grass is not cut short

Type of:
land site, site
the piece of land on which something is located (or is to be located)

v prepare in preliminary or sketchy form

Synonyms:
rough in, rough out
Type of:
prepare
to prepare verbally, either for written or spoken delivery
4

adj full of hardship or trials

“they were having a rough time”
Synonyms:
rocky
difficult, hard
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

adj unpleasantly stern

“the nomad life is rough and hazardous”
Synonyms:
harsh
unpleasant
disagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings
5

adj unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound

Synonyms:
grating, gravelly, rasping, raspy, scratchy
cacophonic, cacophonous
having an unpleasant sound
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