as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste
their roughneck antics were amusing only if you were as drunk as they were
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
a group of roughnecks like to hang out at the roadhouse and harass people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of roughneck
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2024
Trey Smoak’s roughneck monitor lizard was out of his sight for about 10 minutes Friday when the Crowley resident went to put up groceries.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2024
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 20 Dec. 2024
In 1989, Panguna shuttered, and its roughnecks fled from Arawa.
—Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for roughneck
Adjective
That sequence feels like it might have been made by one of those roughneck filmmakers in the early days of Hollywood, just hauling a lot of equipment and stuntmen out to the desert and risking their lives to make some crazed, truly dangerous action set piece.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2024
Trey Smoak’s roughneck monitor lizard was out of his sight for about 10 minutes Friday when the Crowley resident went to put up groceries.
—Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2024
Noun
Landman, set in the oil fields of West Texas, is punctuated by extensive diatribes from Tommy about the oil industry’s importance, the tragic necessity of landmen and roughnecks, and the fallacy of placing society’s hope on renewable energy.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 20 Dec. 2024
In 1989, Panguna shuttered, and its roughnecks fled from Arawa.
—Sean Williams, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for roughneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughneck
Adjective
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Climate change vandals spray-painted a Tesla car dealership in Manhattan on Tuesday to protest Elon Musk’s work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but as police arrived, the activists could be seen cleaning off some of the vulgar writing.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
22 Apr. 2025
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Two of the protesters are facing counts including obstructing a law enforcement officer and simple battery on a law enforcement officer, while a third has been charged with using vulgar language, according to Acworth police.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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There’s no dearth of evil Imperial thugs in Andor — however, one character who seems to exist in a complicated moral gray is Lonni Jung (Robert Emms), a fellow ISB officer who attends Partagaz’s closed-door briefings alongside Dedra but relays the Empire’s plans to Luthen in secret.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2025
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Speaking of the stand: The prosecution’s main witness changes her damning testimony against Gomez when one of his thugs — the same guy that was trying to get Noah to get in his car — arrives in court and glares menacingly from the back row.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Related Articles Dear Abby: Is there a way to tell the crass shirttail relations that they’re not invited?—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
10 May 2025
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Grand Theft Auto is famous for its crass, satirical sense of humor.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
6 May 2025
Noun
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As is the norm in the ’90s, L.A. rapper Tone Loc is part of the cast as a gangster from around the way named Frog.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
9 May 2025
-
In 1979, when Carmine Galante, the head of the Bonanno crime family, was killed, the photographer Hal Goldenberg hoofed it up onto a roof in Brooklyn to get a shot of the gangster’s cooling corpse.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Adjective
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There is something shocking, almost rude, about comparing the aims of wardens and guards to those of curators and artists, but McKenzie has her reasons.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
28 Apr. 2025
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But the 37-year-old doesn’t always see eye to eye with fans, at least not those who frequently heckle him, and Pham’s reaction is too often rude, crude and lewd.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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As the Trump administration continues deporting alleged criminals without due process, John Oliver can’t help but worry for who’s next.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
4 May 2025
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She's seen meeting with fellow criminals and loading a gun in the teaser.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
2 May 2025
Adjective
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In energy trading, U.S. benchmark crude oil added 64 cents to $62.59 per barrel.—
Matt Ott,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2025
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The positive development has sent oil prices higher as well, with crude oil up over 3.5% in premarket trading.—
JJ Kinahan,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Noun
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The filmmaker released a 15-second preview of the trailer, featuring footage of a battle between Superman and a mechanized villain named the Hammer of Boravia.—
Michileen Martin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
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Frey was the Game of Thrones villain who orchestrated that show’s infamous Red Wedding, a premeditated and highly violent attack on a large group of people that took place during a wedding reception.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Roughneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughneck. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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