as in rough
hastily or roughly constructed
the announcement of his candidacy was made from a rough-and-tumble stage put together just that morning
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in brawl
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
a rough-and-tumble broke out among the fans in the stands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rough-and-tumble
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
Allison Carnegie, Foreign Affairs, 14 May 2025
The English actor is a perfect pairing with the kinetic Evans, as he's played rough-and-tumble brawlers in several bone-crunchers, including Bronson (2008), Warrior (2011), and The Revenant (2015), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough-and-tumble
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
Noun
In this rough-and-tumble era, trade wars were frequent and destabilizing.
—Allison Carnegie, Foreign Affairs, 14 May 2025
The English actor is a perfect pairing with the kinetic Evans, as he's played rough-and-tumble brawlers in several bone-crunchers, including Bronson (2008), Warrior (2011), and The Revenant (2015), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough-and-tumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-and-tumble
Adjective
-
Ransom Canyon star Josh Duhamel didn’t have a rough time getting to know the set of his new film Off the Grid because the actor lives off the grid in real-life.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
-
Avoid scrubbing the microwave’s interior with rough materials like steel wool or abrasive sponges.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
27 June 2025
Noun
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Most of the brawls took place between large groups of teenagers, according to Conley.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
22 June 2025
-
Anakin and Obi-Wan's lightsaber brawl is an all-timer just for sheer brutality. 34.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 June 2025
Adjective
-
Herbert includes a range of moments, from earnest attempts to talk about the enslaved people that maintained all these palatial homes to clumsier ones in which they are referred to as workers, insinuating that their labor was paid for instead of forced.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
-
The aftermath of Virginia’s clumsy tumble into a rose bed where her exposed cleavage is profusely pricked by thorns lasts for all of one scene.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
16 June 2025
Noun
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The clash between the two drivers was likely carried forward from the previous race in Detroit, where McLaughlin crashed into Siegel from behind, causing him to get knocked out of the race.—
Saajan Jogia,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
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India, the fanatical cricket country, against England, the founding fathers of the game, will be a clash of styles.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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In other dealings early Monday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 15 cents to $65.37 per barrel.—
Elaine Kurtenbach,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
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About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
And even if that feels rude by the standards of today, people were forced to answer her questions and answer to the things that the public wanted to know.—
Alex Jhamb Burns,
Vogue,
23 June 2025
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There are so many things that can be off or what if just the woman walks in and just is not attracted to the guy or the man is rude to the waiter.—
Steve Baltin,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
Adjective
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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
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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
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
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Rough-and-tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-and-tumble. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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