rough-and-ready

adjective

ˌrə-fən-ˈre-dē How to pronounce rough-and-ready (audio)
Definition of rough-and-readynext
as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed a rough-and-ready shack that the explorers threw together as winter approached

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 rough-and-ready Black South African soccer developed its own clubs, its own superstars, and its own rough-and-ready style. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2026 The brand showed off its novel approach to creating a modern version of a vintage Land Rover Defender replete with switch panels for off-road performance and accessories and a rough-and-ready chassis design. — Scotty Reiss, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025 Star chefs from Japan and abroad are shaking up the dining scene with inventive gastronomy, though delicious casual eats from rough-and-ready street stalls and mom-and-pop shops are still Osaka's calling card. — Melinda Joe, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Mar. 2025 But grit, rawness and dirty-realist poetry can be elusive elements to conjure, even in a production that cultivates those qualities with a rough-and-ready feel for the scrappy, sweaty storytelling of another era. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for rough-and-ready
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-and-ready
  1. clumsy
  2. rough
  3. rude
  4. rough-and-tumble
  5. primitive
  6. rudimentary
  7. flawed
  8. imperfect
Adjective
  • The mistake leaders make is concluding that the person who looks uncertain or clumsy must have been the wrong choice.
    — Monica Cutia, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The second trickier and clumsier aside happens when Banderas’ chef tells Tony the tragedy of 17th century French cook François Vatel, who literally fell on his sword before serving a banquet to Louis XIV.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Adjective
  • The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has had a rough year, and in a cynical way, that makes for great TV.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
  • When the economy hits rougher patches, employers curtail hiring or tend to favor experienced workers, businesses lean more on technology to fill any labor gaps, and some consumers pull back on discretionary spending.
    — Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of rough
Adjective
  • Downright rude when driving, scooters and bikes weaving in and out, people opening their windows and yelling all the time.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • As Nessie showed at lunch, being real does not necessarily include being rude.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 July 2026
Definition of rude
Adjective
  • The startup’s rough-and-tumble experiments are even more telling.
    — Justine Calma, The Verge, 24 Feb. 2023
Definition of rough-and-tumble
Adjective
  • Some researchers have argued that LUCA was a complex cell with a primitive immune system to protect against viruses.
    — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Porous feet deliver The researchers designed and 3D-printed three hemispherical TPMS variants—primitive, gyroid and diamond—and evaluated their mechanical properties through compression testing.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of primitive
Adjective
  • And packing no GoTo computer requires at least a rudimentary knowledge of the night sky and a star atlas or planetarium software.
    — Damian Peach, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The narrator, purged of identifiers except for her yearning, her rational faculties, and her sense of unbelonging, is counterintuitively relatable—a portrait of rudimentary, universal humanity.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of rudimentary
Adjective
  • Here agents were built to find software exploits and placed in flawed or deliberately permissive environments.
    — Chris Stokel-Walker, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Every output the system produces from ambiguous or stale inputs becomes a decision someone makes in good faith on a flawed premise.
    — Leon Gordon, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of flawed
Adjective
  • The comparison is imperfect because a computer is a physical asset while a ChatGPT user accesses software through an existing phone or computer.
    — Gerui Wang, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The system was imperfect, but its capacity to correct itself and rebuild confidence became one of America’s greatest strengths.
    — Keith Krach, Fortune, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of imperfect

Browse Nearby Words

rough
rough-and-ready
rough-and-tumble
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Cite this Entry

“Rough-and-ready.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-and-ready. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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