Definition of roughneck
2
:a worker of an oil-well-drilling crew other than the driller
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Examples of roughneck in a Sentence
a town overrun by roughnecks
a group of roughnecks like to hang out at the roadhouse and harass people
Recent Examples of roughneck from the Web
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Young Texans can no longer get by as oil-field roughnecks and farmhands, many here say, and schools must start to train them for jobs in newer technological industries.
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Canvas magic Michael Perry could be described as a roughneck Garrison Keillor.
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Canvas magic Michael Perry could be described as a roughneck Garrison Keillor.
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Here on a hulking steel behemoth 130 miles southeast of New Orleans, more than 170 roughnecks and engineers are working to quickly wring more oil out of a massive old field—and keep it profitable even if...
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Mr. Snider hired a cadre of roughneck fighters after seeing his team of aging retreads and young castoffs humiliated by brawlers like the St. Louis Blues and the Montreal Canadiens.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'roughneck.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of roughneck
1834
roughneck Synonyms
Synonyms
bully, gangbanger, gangsta, gangster, goon, gorilla, hood, hooligan, mobster, mug, plug-ugly, punk, hoodlum, rowdy, ruffian, thug, tough, toughie (also toughy), yob [British], yobbo [British]Related Words
cutthroat, scoundrel, villain; assassin, bandit, bravo, brigand, criminal, crook, desperado, felon, gunman, highwayman, lawbreaker, mafioso, malefactor, offender, outlaw, perp, perpetrator, pirate; pickpocket, racketeer, robber, swindler, thief, vandal; juvenile delinquent, tearaway [British]Examples of roughneck in a Sentence
their roughneck antics were amusing only if you were as drunk as they were
First Known Use of roughneck
1906
roughneck Synonyms
Synonyms
common, crass, crude, gross, ill-bred, illiberal [archaic], incult, insensible, low, lowbred, lowbrow, raffish, rough, rough-hewn, coarse, rude, rugged, tasteless, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgarAntonyms
civilized, cultivated, cultured, genteel, polished, refined, smooth, tasteful, ultrarefined, well-bredRelated Words
boorish, churlish, cloddish, clownish, loutish, ungentlemanly; clumsy, lubberly, lumpish, oafish; inconsiderate, indelicate, insensitive, thoughtless; countrified (also countryfied), provincial, rustic (also rustical), unsophisticated; graceless, inelegant, tacky; animallike, barbaric, barbarous, uncivilized; mannerless, unmannered, unmannerlyNear Antonyms
aristocratic, courtly, patrician; elegant, graceful, restrained; considerate, gracious, sensitive, thoughtful; citified, sophisticated, urbaneROUGHNECK Defined for English Language Learners
roughneck
play
noun
Definition of roughneck for English Language Learners
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: someone who behaves in a rough, rude, or aggressive way
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: someone who works on an oil rig or at an oil well
ROUGHNECK Defined for Kids
roughneck
play
noun
rough·neck
\
ˈrəf-ˌnek
\
Definition of roughneck for Students
:a rough aggressive person
Learn More about roughneck
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See words that rhyme with roughneck Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for roughneck Spanish Central: Translation of roughneck Nglish: Translation of roughneck for Spanish speakers
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