roughneck

1 of 2

noun

rough·​neck ˈrəf-ˌnek 

1

a

: a rough or uncouth person

b

: rowdy, tough

2

: a worker of an oil-well-drilling crew other than the driller

roughneck

2 of 2

adjective

: having the characteristics of or suitable for a roughneck

Synonyms of roughneck

Noun

• thug
• gangster
• criminal
• villain
• bandit
• ruffian
• pirate
• tough
• assassin

Adjective

• vulgar
• crass
• rude
• crude
• coarse
• common
• rugged
• rough
• raffish

Examples of roughneck in a Sentence

Noun

a town overrun by roughnecks

a group of roughnecks like to hang out at the roadhouse and harass people

Adjective

their roughneck antics were amusing only if you were as drunk as they were

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion. —Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026

Livestock ranchers, roughnecks and agriculture have had a storied past in the rural land surrounding what is now a long stretch of Interstate Highway 680. —Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026

Adjective

Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion. —Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026

The show seems organically suited for a more action comedy take, given Hooker’s old style and often roughneck crime fighting style, which seemed out of place in a more woke world. —Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for roughneck

• aztec
• breakneck
• codec
• exec
• mixtec
• paycheck
• pinchbeck
• recheck
• redneck
• toltec
• beck
• breck

Kids Definition

roughneck

noun

rough·​neck

ˈrəf-ˌnek

1

: a rough person : rowdy

2

: a worker on a crew drilling oil wells