rough

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“
Human nature in the rough is here portrayed with a faithfulness that is convincing ROBERT E. KNOWLES Author of "St. Cuthberts," etc. The Singer of the Kootenay A Tale of To-day.

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Definitions (94)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (23)

  1. adjective Having a surface marked by irregularities, protuberances, or ridges; not smooth.
  2. adjective Coarse or shaggy to the touch: a rough scratchy blanket.
  3. adjective Difficult to travel over or through: the rough terrain of the highlands.
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Examples (50)

  • Not to mention that the metallic mesh is kind of rough, and it needed at great couture finish.Wouldn't you know that an embroidered medallion fell just at the shoulder seam and I had to cut around it and applique it over the shoulder seam?
  • And she likes it "rough" - so I'm saying to myself, "what's that about?", and it turns out it's just another part of the misdirection - sort of a way to throw us off. —  The John and Ken Show
  • During a news conference regarding the investigation's findings, Dann admitted to having a romantic relationship with a member of his staff during what he called a rough time in his marriage. —  News for NBC4i.com
  • Try using a heavy-duty bulb known as a rough-service type, or one designed for use in a garage door opener and other physically demanding locations.
  • Assuming that all of your video has been successfully digitized, and is resting comfortably in your hard drives and all of your software is functioning properly, the first thing that has to be done, is that you watch all of the material and do what they call a rough cut. —  Mywebblogs.com Master Site Feed
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Suggestions Wordniks Suggest

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

rude ·  soft ·  spin-dry ·  coarse ·  dirty

Used in the same contextWord Family

rough:   rougher ·  roughest ·  roughed
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (5)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English rūh.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (4)

  1. from Middle English rough, rogh, roʒe, row, rou, rugh, ru, ruʒ, ruh, from Anglo-Saxon rūh, rarely rūg (in inflection rūh-, rūg-, rūw-, rarely rūch-), rough, hairy, shaggy, untrimmed, uncultivated, knotty, undressed, = Old Dutch ruch, ru, Middle Dutch ruych, ruygh, Dutch ruig, ruw = Middle Low German rūch, rūw, rū, Low German rug = Old High German rūh, Middle High German rūch, German rauh, also rauch (in rauch-werk, peltries, furs, rauch-handel, trade in furs, etc.), rough, shaggy, = Danish ru, rough; cf. Lithuanian raukas, a fold, wrinkle, rukti, wrinkle. Cf. rug, rugged.
  2. from Middle English ruhen, rouwen = Old High German gi-rūhan, make rough; from the adjective: see rough, a.
  3. from rough, a.
  4. Also formerly ruff; apparently an abbreviation of ruffian, but now associated with rough and accordingly conformed to it in spelling. It is not probable that the adjective rough alone would give rise to such substantive use.
 

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/rəf/
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