crude

adjective

\ ˈkrüd

cruder; crudest

Definition of crude

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : marked by the primitive, gross, or elemental or by uncultivated simplicity or vulgarity a crude stereotype crude tools crude jokes

2 : existing in a natural state and unaltered by cooking or processing crude oil crude ore

3 : rough or inexpert in plan or execution a crude shelter

4 : lacking a covering, glossing, or concealing element : obvious crude facts

5 : tabulated without being broken down into classes the crude death rate

6 archaic : unripe, immature

crude

noun

Definition of crude (Entry 2 of 2)

: a substance in its natural unprocessed state especially : unrefined petroleum

Other Words from crude Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about crude

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Synonyms & Antonyms for crude

Synonyms: Adjective

native, natural, raw, rude, undressed, unprocessed, unrefined, untreated

Antonyms: Adjective

dressed, processed, refined, treated

Choose the Right Synonym for crude

Adjective

rude, rough, crude, raw mean lacking in social refinement. rude implies ignorance of or indifference to good form; it may suggest intentional discourtesy. rude behavior rough is likely to stress lack of polish and gentleness. rough manners crude may apply to thought or behavior limited to the gross, the obvious, or the primitive. a crude joke raw suggests being untested, inexperienced, or unfinished. turning raw youths into polished performers

Examples of crude in a Sentence

Adjective

They built a crude shelter out of branches. a crude summary of the country's history She first described the procedure in crude terms, and then went into more detail.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The crude black-and-white faces on the left are from 2014, published as part of a landmark paper that introduced the AI tool known as the generative adversarial network (GAN). — James Vincent, The Verge, "These faces show how far AI image generation has advanced in just four years," 17 Dec. 2018 The windows there show a crude skyline rendered in what might be cardboard and drawn in a shaky child’s hand. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "Mr. and Mr. Polar Bear, Karaoke, and the Grinch: A Closer Look at the Holiday Windows," 27 Nov. 2018 Decades earlier, Thomas had emphatically denied engaging in the crude behavior Hill described. — Celeste Katz, Glamour, "In the Age of #MeToo, Will Christine Blasey Ford’s Experience Be the Same as Anita Hill’s?," 17 Sep. 2018 Up until 2012, Iran was China's third-largest source of crude oil imports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. — Jon Gambrell, Fox News, "Iran looks warily to China for help as US sanctions resume," 12 Sep. 2018 Indeed, wind power might be a tough sell to people who go to Ocean City to relax, relish the sunrise and buy T-shirts with crude expressions. — Dan Rodricks, baltimoresun.com, "Rodricks: Wind resistance in Ocean City is ludicrous," 12 June 2018 But as crude prices have risen, and operators in the Permian have contended with shortages of labor and pipelines, the Eagle Ford has gotten more attention. — Rye Druzin, San Antonio Express-News, "Austin-based oil company buys more Eagle Ford Shale acreage," 6 July 2018 Times of turmoil tend to boost crude prices, to the benefit of big U.S. producers—of which the best positioned right now is Chevron (cvx, -1.96%). — Ryan Derousseau, Fortune, "Three Stocks to Own in Risky Times," 26 June 2018 Sassou Nguesso, 74, is facing growing opposition to his almost four-decade rule after the economy contracted for the past two years following a drop in crude prices. — Elie Smith, Bloomberg.com, "Sassou Nguesso's Son May Vie to Succeed Him as Congo Leader," 5 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

An average of 718,000 barrels of crude a day traversed America’s railways as of October, the latest data available, an 88% increase from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. — Paul Ziobro, WSJ, "Oil Trains Make Comeback as Pipeline Bottlenecks Worsen," 31 Jan. 2019 In many ways, the oil business in the U.S. has never been better, with domestic producers in a growing number of states churning out barrels of crude in record numbers. — Rob Nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, "California's ranking as an oil-producing state is slipping," 12 July 2018 The price of crude plummeted more than 60 percent over 2014 and 2015. — Rick Clough, Bloomberg.com, "GE Exits Health, Oil as CEO Shrinks Onetime Titan to Save It," 26 June 2018 Media: Brandpoint So Enterprise Products is using hoses to load almost 1.1 million barrels of crude onto the vessel. — Andrea Leinfelder, Houston Chronicle, "Tight squeeze: Supersized crude carrier calls on Texas City port," 22 June 2018 Designed by Lofelt, the Nari Ultimate’s haptic effects are more nuanced than the crude on/off rumble of old. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "Razer HyperSense's vision for haptic-filled PC gaming shakes up the future of peripherals," 10 Jan. 2019 British engineers even considered using chickens as a crude (but theoretically effective) detonator timer. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Britain Built a Nuclear Land Mine and Almost Used Chickens To Detonate It," 21 Dec. 2018 But its understanding of the location of a train is crude. — William Finnegan, The New Yorker, "Can Andy Byford Save the Subways?," 2 July 2018 In a way this is similar to the oil storage facilities at Cushing, Oklahoma, which is the destination for contracts in West Texas Intermediate crude. — Ed Wallace, star-telegram, "Myths and Numbers," 17 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crude.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.