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
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Encounters with protest—as participants, observers, or opponents of it—are useful parts of learning for students who will eventually leave their campuses for a fractious, rough-and-tumble political world.
—Christopher L. Eisgruber, Time, 9 Oct. 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
But don’t worry about things getting repetitive, because their cheesy, wholesome (with a W) love story is markedly different from Hollander and Rozanov’s rough-and-tumble tryst.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Encounters with protest—as participants, observers, or opponents of it—are useful parts of learning for students who will eventually leave their campuses for a fractious, rough-and-tumble political world.
—Christopher L. Eisgruber, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough-and-tumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-and-tumble
Adjective
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If that means getting rougher and going outside of the rules and expectations for appropriate use of force, that’s all fine.—
Bob Ortega,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
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The Dolphins went 7-10 and missed the playoffs last season, benching Tagovailoa in favor of Quinn Ewers for the final three games, ending a rough season for the former Alabama star.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Videos circulating on social media captured one protester rushing into the vigil and attempting to tear down a poster, resulting in a brawl between the two groups that prompted the New York City Police Department to intervene.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Mar. 2026
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As the brawl unfolded, the crowd could be heard shouting profanity.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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That makes the killers kind of human and fallible and clumsy, and these movies get a lot of mileage out of the slapstick shenanigans of their slasher chases.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
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Then, however, Phillips was sent off four minutes into the second half for a clumsy lunge at Svante Ingelsson, and suddenly Wednesday believed.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Perhaps surprisingly, the unfair pay and rude management didn’t trigger the most significant changes in attitude.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
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Whether a dish is tied to a long-standing family tradition, cultural heritage, or simply a treasured memory, etiquette experts say there’s nothing rude about choosing to keep certain recipes private.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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The aesthetic is plush but also primitive.—
Kathryn Romeyn,
Architectural Digest,
9 Mar. 2026
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Some futurists compare this development to our primitive ancestors’ discovery of fire.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rough-and-tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-and-tumble. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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