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
Since then, the 6ft 4in (193cm) Yorkshireman, released by Huddersfield Town as a youngster for being too small, had evolved from a rough-and-ready forward to become one of the lower leagues’ most reliable target men, with a reputation for delivering big goals at big moments.
—
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
James meets rough-and-ready cowboy Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) upon arrival in Fort Worth and joins his wagon train heading West.
—Rendy Jones, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Feb. 2026
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
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
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
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2026
James meets rough-and-ready cowboy Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott) upon arrival in Fort Worth and joins his wagon train heading West.
—Rendy Jones, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Feb. 2026
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-and-ready
Adjective
-
McGee meets one of a clumsy TURF intern Pete, who is revealed to be Olivia's 18-year-old son, Matteo (Patrick Keleher) under interrogation.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Actors from Reiner’s movies gathered onstage — although the camera didn’t catch their faces, a sadly clumsy gaffe.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Based on the novel by Bart Baker, Honeymoon with Harry follows a rough-around-the-edges man (Gyllenhaal) who ends up sharing an unwanted journey with his fiancée’s prickly, overprotective father (Costner) after a life-altering turn upends their plans.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
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Nivea’s Intense Healing formula takes a richer approach, focusing on long-lasting moisture that can soften rough areas like knees, elbows, and heels.—
Hana Hong,
Glamour,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Other complaints from the boys included rude police officers and strict rules.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
-
While Ward’s speed made for a rude welcoming, the most notable part of Cole’s day was his velocity.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
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
-
There are nine primitive, tent-only sites without electric access.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Anacapa Island, for instance, has no services aside from some primitive campsites, a lighthouse and limited hiking options, but is also a major seabird rookery from April to August, which translates to lots of bird poop, noise, bird carcasses and territorial bird behavior.—
Kate Bradshaw,
Mercury News,
23 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The crash occurred at Tempe in northern Greece after a passenger train was placed on the wrong track, into the path of an oncoming freight train — an astonishing lapse on a rudimentary rail network.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Mar. 2026
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The puppetry, rudimentary special effects, and unflattering costumes mark it as a distinctly Adult Swim show.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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But reporters who spent time probing more deeply into Chavez’s United Farm Workers of America also came to understand that the union’s co-founder was abundantly flawed and frequently not held to account by his allies, a recipe that could lead to trouble.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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The truth is that most diets fail, not because people lack discipline, but because the diet itself is flawed.—
Fred Sassani,
Austin American Statesman,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Devers and Eldridge are an imperfect duo, a pair of left-handed hitting sluggers with minimal defensive versatility.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Still, even an imperfect system could change how people interact with cameras and images.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rough-and-ready.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-and-ready. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
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