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
Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Joe himself was one of these aging, progressive, rough-and-tumble types, half hippie and half Charles Bukowski.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026
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
There’s no guarantee that talking with Bondi about Epstein in a closed-door setting, even a deposition, will be more productive than the normally rough-and-tumble public hearings held by the panel.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Joe himself was one of these aging, progressive, rough-and-tumble types, half hippie and half Charles Bukowski.
—Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rough-and-tumble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-and-tumble
Adjective
-
For as rough as the lineup continued to look, the injuries are yet again piling up on the pitching side.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
-
This gives you a rough idea of how much of each ingredient is contained in a food.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
Noun
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May 26 Juniper O’Reilly and Mo Elmthorn are best friends, roommates, and farmers who share an idyllic cottage life filled with livestock, tavern visits, and the occasional brawl.—
Angelina Mazza,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
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According to the sheriff's office, six people have been arrested in connection with the brawl.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2026
Adjective
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The historic victory, the nation’s first ever in the World Cup, was overshadowed when the midfielder injured his leg in gruesome fashion following a clumsy challenge from Qatar’s Assim Madibo.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
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Better systems beat willpower as clumsy Chiron enters your 6th House of Work and Health, reminding you that mistakes teach faster than shame.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
19 June 2026
Adjective
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It’s widely considered rude and annoying when people cluster by the train doors if there are more people on the platform attempting to get on.—
Claudia Fisher,
Travel + Leisure,
15 June 2026
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Many of these terms were meant as insults and were – and remain today – tremendously rude, but others reflect the bewilderment of trying to categorize people who don’t fit into standard categories easily.—
Ky Merkley,
The Conversation,
15 June 2026
Adjective
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Some showstopping pieces were sold at Vivienne Westwood’s London shop Seditionaries, which revolutionized a rough-and-ready pop-culture style that still resonates to this day.—
Siran Babayan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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Its Blue Armchair, on show at design exhibition Convey, is blocky and rigid with rough-and-ready industrial detailing.—
Francesca Perry,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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But the primitive areas of our brains still have connections from when our ancestors relied on smell to survive.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
16 June 2026
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In another story, set in the far future, a scientist who had disappeared decades earlier reappears in an emergency shuttle, claiming to have been saved by a technologically primitive alien race.—
Alexandra Oliva,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rough-and-tumble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-and-tumble. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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