rough

1 of 4

adjective

rougher; roughest
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 woodsP. B. Shelley
2
a
: turbulent, tempestuous
rough seas
b(1)
: characterized by harshness, violence, or force
(2)
: presenting a challenge : difficult
rough to deal withR. M. McAlmon
3
: coarse or rugged in character or appearance: such as
a
: harsh to the ear
b
: crude in style or expression
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

rough

2 of 4

adverb

1
2
British : without usual conveniences
especially : without proper shelter
become homeless and have to sleep rough London Times

rough

3 of 4

noun

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 roughEleanor Stirling
3
a
: something in a crude, unfinished, or preliminary state
b
: broad outline : general terms
the question … has been discussed in roughManchester Guardian Weekly
c
: a hasty preliminary drawing or layout
4
: rowdy

rough

4 of 4

verb

roughed; roughing; roughs

transitive verb

1
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 sense 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
Phrases
rough it
: to live under harsh or primitive conditions
Choose the Right Synonym for rough

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

synonyms see in addition rude

Examples of rough in a Sentence

Adjective He trimmed the rough edge of the paper. We traveled over rough dirt roads. They hiked through rough terrain. We were a bit shaken from the plane's rough landing. He went through a rough patch after his divorce. They've hit a few rough spots in their marriage. Despite a rough start, the team won more games this season than last. Adverb The engine is running a little rough. Life has been treating her pretty rough. He plays rough with the dog. people living rough on the streets Noun He hit his drive into the rough. He showed me a few roughs of the new building. Verb He was called for roughing the kicker.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Had a rough start and climbed our way all the way back to be the four seed and get a double-bye in this tournament and fight our way to the championship. Mike Harley, arkansasonline.com, 12 Mar. 2024 The 96th Oscars had a lot to celebrate, what with a rough year plagued by two dueling strikes, a couple of world-rocking blockbusters, and a crop of truly great films. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024 Down on the Upside (1996) 1996 was a famously rough year for alternative rock’s commercial prospects, as many of America’s biggest bands suddenly found their new albums selling half as well as previous efforts. Al Shipley, SPIN, 9 Mar. 2024 Their getaway follows reports that the couple hit a rough patch in their relationship late last year. Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Once a rough shape has been created, the felt is heated and steamed so that Mr. Mejia can stretch and shape it into the precise form. Lisa Richwine, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Mar. 2024 It’s been a rough few years for the commercial real estate industry with rising interest rates, increasing operational costs, fewer available loans, and the rise of the hybrid work trend—something that’s proven to be a thorn in the side of office owners. Will Daniel, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 Written on an early home computer with 10.5 million bytes of memory, Herbert’s work included treatments and rough outlines of what was meant to be—like Villeneuve’s contemporary adaptation—a two-part experience, at De Laurentiis’ initial suggestion. Max Evry, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024 Despite a rough start in life, a German Shepherd puppy born without a foot now has a prosthetic paw and a loving new home. Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2024
Adverb
His own house in Fire Island Pines, built in 1961, was a single rectangle of about 600 square feet constructed from rough-cut cedar. Fred A. Bernstein, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2022 What is verifiably true is that, unlike the hulking, rough-faced cast iron we’re used to today, these elder vessels are almost unbearably wonderful, made from a thinner cast and consequently lighter weight, with surfaces that are satin smooth. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2021 Stroud contacted Willis shortly after a taxidermist rough-scored the incredible rack on that pleasant fall afternoon. Matt Williams, Dallas News, 2 Oct. 2021 Frank Jay Gould, Jay's youngest son, become known for his love of both smooth- and rough-coated St. Bernard's. Emily Leiker, USA TODAY, 11 June 2021 In another demonstration of the variability of perception, the authors showed that when placed next to an elderly woman or a child, pit bulls were labeled more positively, while showing them next to a rough-looking male hurt their credibility. Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 23 Mar. 2016 Centineo plays Owen with a similar off-kilter, rough-around-the-edges appeal. Nojan Aminosharei, Men's Health, 21 Dec. 2022 Corabi had the album’s rough-hewn artwork patterned after the essential Aerosmith concert album. Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 5 Oct. 2022 The top is asymmetric and rough-edged, not to mention rent down the center. Maile Pingel, WSJ, 28 Sep. 2022
Noun
There were a number of factors for the high scores, including tough pin placements and thick rough that was soaked during a storm Monday that overwhelmed parts of the city. Bernie Wilson, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2024 Some even get out on the North and South courses for a glimpse of the grounds, including — gulp — Torrey’s infamous rough. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Jan. 2024 An accompanying charcoal illustration resembled the pencil roughs for set and ship designs found in The Art of Star Wars. James Rosen, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 That stone dates to 1878, when Charles Lewis Tiffany acquired the 287-carat rough that was unearthed in South Africa’s Kimberly mine, for a mere $18,000. Jill Newman, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2023 Players will also encounter four-inch rough, which has been left to grow thickly undisturbed. Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2023 After hitting his tee shot into the right rough on No. 7, the short par-4, DeChambeau leaned on his club to collect his tee and the shaft snapped near the bottom. Jon Schultz, SFChronicle.com, 6 Aug. 2020 On the fourth hole, his third shot from the green-side rough went well past the hole location, off the opposite side of the green. Greg Luca, San Antonio Express-News, 2 Apr. 2023 Eternal Pink hails from a larger 23.78-carat rough that was discovered by De Beers at the famed Damtshaa mine in Botswana. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2023
Verb
But a late flag on Christian Wilkins for roughing the passer on third down gave Kansas City a fresh set of downs, and Pacheco plowed into the end zone moments later to give the Chiefs a 26-7 lead. Dave Skretta, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2024 The 76-year-old had left another section of the live television set to interrupt Elmo’s segment and rough the muppet up. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 2 Feb. 2024 The Raiders' Maxx Crosby roughed him up in a loss to Las Vegas, and the Bengals' Trey Hendrickson got around him Sunday for a strip-sack that led to a Cincinnati touchdown. Dave Skretta, USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024 Ravens’ total penalty yards were just shy of the length of a football field (95), with five 15-yard penalties for unnecessary roughness, roughing the passer, and taunting. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 29 Jan. 2024 Two plays later, Oregon is whistled for roughing the passer. oregonlive, 16 Sep. 2023 Earlier in the second quarter, James was called for roughing the passer following a hit on Prescott. Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023 The experience was so new to me because I was used to roughing it my whole life as a musician. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2023 Lenoir-Rhyne forced a Harding punt for the first time midway through the second quarter but was whistled for roughing the kicker. Erick Taylor, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rough.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English rūh; akin to Old High German rūh rough, Lithuanian raukas wrinkle

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rough was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near rough

Cite this Entry

“Rough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rough

1 of 4 adjective
1
a
: having an uneven surface : not smooth
b
: covered with or made up of coarse and often shaggy hair or bristles
a rough-coated terrier
2
a
: not calm
rough seas
b
: being harsh or violent
rough treatment
c
: difficult to take or deal with
we've had some rough times
3
a
: harsh to the ear
b
: coarse or rugged in nature or look
4
: not complete or exact
a rough draft
rough estimate
also : approximate entry 1
this will give you a rough idea of the house
roughish adjective
roughly adverb
roughness noun

rough

2 of 4 noun
1
: uneven ground covered with high grass, brush, and stones
2
: the rugged or unpleasant part of something
nature in the rough
3
: something in a crude or unfinished state
also : such a state
a diamond in the rough

rough

3 of 4 adverb
: in a rough way : not smoothly
the engine idled rough, but ran smoothly at high speed

rough

4 of 4 verb
1
2
: to handle roughly : beat
roughed up by hoodlums
3
: to shape or make in a rough way
rough out a plan

Medical Definition

rough

adjective
: having a broken, uneven, or bumpy surface
specifically : forming or being rough colonies usually made up of organisms that form chains or filaments and tend to marked decrease in capsule formation and virulence
used of dissociated strains of bacteria
compare smooth

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