1
as in uneven
not having a level or smooth surface
a rough board can give you splinters
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Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
rough waters that made sailing our sloop a little risky
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3
as in turbulent
marked by wet and windy conditions
at least wear a raincoat if you're going out into that rough weather
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4
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
a forensics expert who willingly takes on rough assignments
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5
as in harsh
difficult to endure
I've had a rough time of it since I lost my job
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6
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
the rough faces of hardened criminals who had spent most of their lives behind bars
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7
as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed
made a rough camp as darkness fell over the forest
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8
as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste
he learned polite words to replace the rough language he had known growing up
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9
as in shaggy
covered with or as if with hair
a face rough with a couple days' worth of beard
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10
11
12
as in wild
marked by turmoil or disturbance especially of natural elements
after a rough week on the high seas, we were happy to sail through the gulf's more tranquil waters
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tough
Related Words
as in to chop
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rough
Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 14 June 2025
Players were struggling to chip the ball to the green from the greenside rough all afternoon.
—Troy Finnegan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 June 2025
Tour Lineup One of the main elements of Warped Tour is the camaraderie between bands that roughed it out together amongst cramped vans and tents for years.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025
Dj Siddiqi, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The New York Mets keep enduring lengthy rough stretches.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough
Adjective
Saturday brought wind into the equation along with the damper roughs, ratcheting up the difficulty on a course that was already putting the field into submission holds.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 14 June 2025
Players were struggling to chip the ball to the green from the greenside rough all afternoon.
—Troy Finnegan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 June 2025
Noun
Meanwhile, young Spike is back on the mainland, roughing it but clearly surviving.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 June 2025
Tour Lineup One of the main elements of Warped Tour is the camaraderie between bands that roughed it out together amongst cramped vans and tents for years.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025
Verb
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback garnered headlines by bouncing back from a rough first half and a few miscues to lead the Vikings to a 27-24 victory over the Chicago Bears.
—Dj Siddiqi, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
The New York Mets keep enduring lengthy rough stretches.
—Will Sammon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough
Adjective
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Conventional cooling systems often rely on cold plates that offer indirect contact with battery cells, which can result in uneven temperature distribution.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
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Polishing and setting diamonds on uneven surfaces is a rare skill and Chopard does it all in-house.—
Thomas Waller,
Footwear News,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The left is always, at all times and places, a violent phenomenon full of hatred.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, has written about hurricanes, tornadoes and violent weather for more than 30 years.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Giant chronicles a turbulent time in the life of famed children’s author Dahl when he was accused of anti-Semitism in the early 1980s.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
16 Sep. 2025
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As the biomaterials space navigates a more turbulent landscape marked by tightening budgets, regulatory uncertainty, and investor caution, Biofabricate is adapting its approach.—
Rhonda Richford,
Footwear News,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Ncell, Nepal’s second-largest telecommunications service provider, noted that shutting down all platforms at once was, in any case, technically difficult and warned that the move would severely impact business.—
Nir Kshetri,
The Conversation,
14 Sep. 2025
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Last summer, after years of hip problems and some difficult surgeries to address them, Jill had an operation that went poorly.—
Bianca Bosker,
The Atlantic,
14 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The backcourt duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, also known as the StudBudz, are shifty, tough shot-making guards who can get hot in a hurry.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
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And that’s tough on those guys.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Panday plays a convincingly gruff tortured artist alongside Padda’s struggling ingenue, and most of the screen time is devoted to their pairing instead of introducing tertiary excess.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
13 Sep. 2025
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The barbs were frequently aimed at the gruff owner of Mel’s Diner played by the late Vic Tayback.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The rubber sole is also important for clumsy gals like myself.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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Camels seem slow, hippos clumsy, phoenixes unstable, lions lazy.—
Francois Botha,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The book is filled with vulgar pictures, with many faces blacked out, and messages both handwritten and typed from well-wishers for Epstein’s 50th birthday.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
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The biopic is the vulgar but necessary tribute inherently populist cinema pays to more traditional, higher-brow art.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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