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as in hairy
made of or resembling hair a rough-coated dog who was always shedding his fur

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in bumpy
marked by a series of sharp quick motions a rough flight that left some passengers nauseated

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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rough

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noun

rough

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective rough contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of rough are harsh, rugged, scabrous, and uneven. While all these words mean "not smooth or even," rough implies points, bristles, ridges, or projections on the surface.

a rough wooden board

In what contexts can harsh take the place of rough?

While in some cases nearly identical to rough, harsh implies a surface or texture distinctly unpleasant to the touch.

a harsh fabric that chafes the skin

When is rugged a more appropriate choice than rough?

In some situations, the words rugged and rough are roughly equivalent. However, rugged implies irregularity or roughness of land surface and connotes difficulty of travel.

a rugged landscape

Where would scabrous be a reasonable alternative to rough?

Although the words scabrous and rough have much in common, scabrous implies scaliness or prickliness of surface.

a scabrous leaf

When might uneven be a better fit than rough?

The meanings of uneven and rough largely overlap; however, uneven implies a lack of uniformity in height, breadth, or quality.

an old house with uneven floors

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 rough
Adjective
The course features narrow fairways and primary rough that will range from 3.5 to 5 inches during the tournament. Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 23 June 2025 Oakmont was as advertised this week, with some of the game’s best like Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and more struggling to find answers for its tough greens, thick roughs, and the pouring rain that came down on Sunday certainly didn’t help matters for those vying for the championship. Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 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
Hot water can be rough on fabrics and reduce the quality of your bedding over time, causing shrinking, fading, and deterioration of the fabric. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2025 Finally, there’s an air fork and suspension to smooth out the ride, even over rough terrain. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough
Adjective
  • After Florida State and Clemson fought for an uneven share of ACC revenue, a Georgia Tech versus Virginia championship game just feels right.
    Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Southern live oaks draped in Spanish moss that tower and twist over city squares, Neoclassical Antebellum architecture, gas lamps that flicker over uneven cobblestone paths, and a humid subtropical climate that hangs heavy in the air.
    Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Once again, the debate in the book is not over whether or not people should be violent.
    Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
  • As a result, many legends are connected to its violent past, and its dungeon, in particular, is said to be haunted by tortured souls.
    Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The emotional breakdown follows a turbulent few months for the artist.
    Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2025
  • At the other end, his turbulent participation in the 1976 exhibition New York-Downtown-Manhattan SoHo, in Berlin.
    Antonio Sergio Bessa, Curbed, 20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • These events encourage community members to dispose of hazardous materials like gasoline, oil, chemicals, and more, which can be difficult to dispose of and pose a safety risk if not handled correctly.
    Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Don't Look Now manipulates audiences' minds, mixing elements of the occult with the overwhelming need for hope into a plot twist audiences will find difficult to swallow.
    Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Whether or not Takaichi's administration is as tough on immigration issues as her campaign rhetoric suggests, some observers warn that failing to actively invest in and integrate foreign nationals into society will have lasting harm on Asia’s second-largest economy.
    Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Without a consolidation of that vote in the final stretch, Mamdani appears tough to beat.
    New York Times, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But encounters with the island’s residents, including with his gruff but warm-hearted landlady (played by German screen legend Hanna Schygulla), gradually alter his outlook.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • Even the basic details of the situation can sound like the clumsy plot of some apocalyptic thriller.
    Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
  • An exceptionally clumsy device.
    Mark Phelan, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The president has been targeting Jeffries online with offensive and vulgar memes since the pair first had an unsuccessful sit-down meeting in the Oval Office just before the shutdown.
    Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
  • One room cracked up at a vulgar joke about a woman’s behind, while another went for an outrageous and surreal midfilm montage — but each bit was made genuinely funnier by the dozens of people gasping and wheezing over it.
    Robert Rubsam, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough. Accessed 26 Oct. 2025.

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