unpolished

adjective

ˌən-ˈpä-lisht How to pronounce unpolished (audio)
Definition of unpolishednext
as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste an unpolished but well-meaning young man

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unpolished Ilya Sutskever, an idealistic and socially unpolished Russian immigrant, shows up at the office door of Geoffrey Hinton, a godfather of AI, at the University of Toronto in 2003. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026 Despite their looser fit, these jeans are structured enough to pair with blouses, oversized shirts, bulky sweaters, and other roomy tops without looking messy or unpolished. — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2026 Tired girl makeup looks poised to stick around, folded into a broader movement toward grunge, indie sleaze and deliberately unpolished beauty. — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 The debut campaign captures the essence of Bell by switching between chic, elevated vignettes and unpolished moments about her own daily life. — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unpolished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unpolished
  1. vulgar
  2. crass
  3. rude
  4. coarse
  5. rough
  6. common
  7. unrefined
  8. clumsy
Adjective
  • The Johnson County building was once home to Hereford House, which famously closed after a vulgar criminal case in August 2024, in which former employee Jace Hanson was arrested for contaminating the food.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The character is not above asking inappropriate questions like how much an expensive shirt costs, signaling a sort of vulgar fixation on money.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of vulgar
Adjective
  • His crass, combative rhetoric, frequent public attacks and norm-breaking behavior have exhausted the American people.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Where does a man like this — tenacious, fiery, unapologetically crass — come from?
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of crass
Adjective
  • Don’t expect Miss Manners ever to issue an OK-to-be-rude pass.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Rosie Campbell, Managing Director of Eleos AI Research, a nonprofit dedicated to understanding and addressing the potential well-being of AI, said that some other studies have even shown that rude questions can actually improve results.
    — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of rude
Adjective
  • Coir doormats, made with coconut fiber, are appreciated for their coarse, abrasive textures.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Gray hair is more coarse and less likely to appear shiny than other hair colors.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of coarse
Adjective
  • As the Heat searches for positives amid its rough start to the season, the bench rotation continues to evolve.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2026
  • At the Shore, onshore winds could create rough surf, hazardous boating conditions, and some tidal flooding, although the extent of coastal impacts will depend heavily on the storm's track and how long winds remain onshore.
    — Grant Gilmore, CBS News, 10 Nov. 2026
Definition of rough
Adjective
  • Frye called for policies that increase transparency around gate utilization rate, establish meaningful utilization standards and expand the number of common-use gates.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Pest control Many common rose pests — including rose slugs, thrips, chilli thrips, and spider mites — pupate in the soil or overwinter in fallen plant debris.
    — Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of common
Adjective
  • The 43-year-old’s sketches are famously loose, bright and unrefined.
    — Rachel Brodsky, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Affordable electric bikes usually mean enduring heavy frames, clunky kick-in for the motor and unrefined, unpredictable power delivery.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of unrefined
Adjective
  • While the revolving timelines are certainly intriguing, the bloated cast, utterly confusing storylines and clumsy dialogue make for a painfully puzzling watch.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Nov. 2026
  • But even those fans of her socially clumsy and feverishly party-planning mayor’s assistant Patricia on that series may not be prepared for her soulful, wrenching work in Mike Leigh’s latest film.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of clumsy

Browse Nearby Words

unpoetic
unpolished
unpolluted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unpolished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unpolished. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of lissome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All