as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed
a rough-and-ready shack that the explorers threw together as winter approached
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Recent Examples of rough-and-ready
Five seasons of Premier League football have seen Watkins progress from a rough-and-ready channel runner into a striker of prowess.
—
Carl Anka, New York Times, 30 July 2025
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
Their rough-and-ready vérité shooting style creates an intimacy with the subject that deepens the emotional response to music that for many of us is ingrained in our DNA.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Nov. 2024
James meets rough-and-ready cowboy Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) upon arrival in Fort Worth and joins his wagon train heading West.
—Rendy Jones, EW.com, 9 Aug. 2024
That means looks or labels that are forged in the sweat and heat of the city’s legendary nightlife and its edgy, rough-and-ready street style.
—Cathrin Schaer, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
As Singer’s book documents, Siskel and Ebert’s frequent riffs about their show amount to a rough-and-ready touchstone—even a questionnaire—for critics of all stripes to ponder.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
Iteration is crucial in video-game design Typically a video-game project starts with the team throwing together a few rough-and-ready first drafts to make sure the concept works.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 June 2023
They're all looked after by their gruff, rough-and-ready sometimes-mama, Raleigh (Laurie Metcalf).
—Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 2 June 2023
Carl Anka, New York Times, 30 July 2025
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
Their rough-and-ready vérité shooting style creates an intimacy with the subject that deepens the emotional response to music that for many of us is ingrained in our DNA.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Nov. 2024
James meets rough-and-ready cowboy Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) upon arrival in Fort Worth and joins his wagon train heading West.
—Rendy Jones, EW.com, 9 Aug. 2024
That means looks or labels that are forged in the sweat and heat of the city’s legendary nightlife and its edgy, rough-and-ready street style.
—Cathrin Schaer, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019
As Singer’s book documents, Siskel and Ebert’s frequent riffs about their show amount to a rough-and-ready touchstone—even a questionnaire—for critics of all stripes to ponder.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 17 Nov. 2023
Iteration is crucial in video-game design Typically a video-game project starts with the team throwing together a few rough-and-ready first drafts to make sure the concept works.
—IEEE Spectrum, 26 June 2023
They're all looked after by their gruff, rough-and-ready sometimes-mama, Raleigh (Laurie Metcalf).
—Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 2 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-and-ready
Adjective
-
Any move to unify systems and say goodbye to clumsy data management couldn't be more crucial—or opportune.—
Charles Crouchman,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Every summer a disposable camera was tucked into my camp bag, where clumsy photos, often with a thumb peeking in, were snapped with reckless abandon.—
Alana Al-Hatlani,
Southern Living,
2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
My mother, just beneath her skin, housed a palpable rage, and my father’s cheeks were pocked and rough from ingrown hairs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Battlefield 6 hype is losing a bit of steam with changes to its second beta run, involving new additions, controversial decisions and rough retreads of old modes.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The protectionist trade measures muddy the picture for growth in the world’s largest economy and the future of the U.S. dollar, which denominates most commodities — including crude oil.—
Natasha Turak,Ruxandra Iordache,
CNBC,
5 Aug. 2025
-
In 2023, Ryazan processed 13.1 million tons of crude oil, yielding significant volumes of gasoline and jet fuel.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Think scarf head coverings for women in Catholic churches, shoe removal for all to enter a mosque, yarmulkes required for men in synagogues, but also pay attention to the cultural norms away from houses of worship and behave accordingly to avoid being considered a rude American.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
4 Aug. 2025
-
The Reddit community nearly unanimously branded the boyfriend as rude and tone-deaf.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The trappings of the Senate were another world from Mr. Abourezk’s rough-and-tumble childhood on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, where his Lebanese parents had immigrated and ran a general store.—
STEPHEN GROVES,
BostonGlobe.com,
25 Feb. 2023
-
The startup’s rough-and-tumble experiments are even more telling.—
Justine Calma,
The Verge,
24 Feb. 2023
Adjective
-
Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
-
Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
-
It is conducted by individuals or small groups using basic tools and rudimentary machinery.—
Marian Selorm Sapah,
Space.com,
2 Aug. 2025
-
As his 306-page report concludes, the Clinton campaign was principally responsible for fabricating the story, and the FBI was recklessly irresponsible in opening a full investigation and using the dossier in court without rudimentary verification steps.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 July 2025
Adjective
-
Grok cited The Verge's reporting while confirming that its own seemingly flawed design can trigger partially nude outputs of celebrities.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
5 Aug. 2025
-
But their presence, even flawed, is better than their absence.—
Solitaire Townsend,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rough-and-ready.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-and-ready. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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