as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed
a rough-and-ready shack that the explorers threw together as winter approached
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-and-ready
Adjective
-
Chris and Emilia’s conversation is suddenly interrupted by a premature explosion, which was caused by a clumsy member of a militia group called the Sons of Liberty.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Tiny, slow and clumsy — these hatchlings are an easy snack for predators.—
Diaa Hadid,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Homers reheat Royals’ cold offense The Royals’ offense has hit another rough patch.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Additionally, avoid using any pads or scrubbers with a rough surface that could damage the cabinet finish.—
Heather Bien,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Accomplished in a bedroom with orange shag carpet and with a crude recording system, Springsteen confronted the dark side of the American dream, as ghosts from his past were catching up to him too quickly for mentor Jon Landau to help beat them back.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
30 Aug. 2025
-
There is nothing crude about the sculpture.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
This question becomes thornier once Dorotea visits Rocca in prison, finding her rude and abrasive though not irrational.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Aug. 2025
-
Are people getting ruder these days?—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
26 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
-
Instead of blasting in all directions, like a primitive roadside bomb, an EFP directs and concentrates the force of its explosion.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
-
The body shell, fenders, and low-slung doors were hung on a ladder-type frame, primitive compared to the unibody MGB roadster that debuted in 1962.—
Robert Ross,
Robb Report,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Those humans who were good at it, even in its most rudimentary forms, would have a real advantage.—
Elissa Strauss,
The Atlantic,
28 Aug. 2025
-
But most users do not yet have passkeys on their accounts and still rely on passwords, perhaps with some rudimentary form of 2FA.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The problem is a deeply flawed political system that repeatedly incentivizes the wrong choices.—
Les Rubin,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
-
These are flawed characters struggling at the top of the middle or the bottom of the top; one is on the way down, the other on the way up.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rough-and-ready.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-and-ready. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share