crude

1 of 2

adjective

ˈkrüd 

cruder; crudest

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

crudely adverb

crudeness noun

crude

2 of 2

noun

: a substance in its natural unprocessed state

especially : unrefined petroleum

Synonyms

Adjective

• raw
• natural
• native
• unrefined

Choose the Right Synonym for crude

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

This is a crude and unreasonable attempt to make the discussion into an all-or-nothing affair. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025

Early Tralalero Tralala videos were scored with a curse-laden Italian song that sounds like a crude nursery rhyme. —Safiyah Riddle, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025

Noun

China is the biggest importer of Russian crude, buying more than $4 billion worth of the fuel from Russia in July alone, according to CREA. —Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025

Sanctions have forced Tehran to sell most of its crude to China at discount prices, while aging refineries leave the country lagging behind other oil-rich states. —Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Latin crudus raw, crude, undigested — more at raw

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

circa 1904, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing crude

• crude death rate

Rhymes for crude

• blued
• booed
• brewed
• brood
• chewed
• cooed
• cued
• dude
• feud
• food
• glued
• gude

Kids Definition

crude

1 of 2 adjective

ˈkrüd 

cruder; crudest

1

: being in a natural state and not changed by cooking or refining : raw

crude oil

2

: not having or showing good manners : vulgar

3

: planned or done in a rough or unskilled way

a crude drawing

crudely adverb

crudeness noun

crude

2 of 2 noun

: crude oil