as in unpolished
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Recent Examples of rough-edged
Andor is charming and rough-edged, a solo space cowboy accustomed to hustling his own way.
—
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
Here we are faced with an aesthetic that is indeed poetic, but also austere; contemplative, yet analytical, critical—at times even rough-edged.
—Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 14 May 2025
One of the things Sean Baker does exceptionally well is draw us into a vivid and highly specific milieu, nurturing our affections for characters who are rough-edged, to put it mildly, and then whip up a vortex of steadily escalating chaos.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024
Foster’s version of Sarah was more defiant and rough-edged than the producers and the director, Jonathan Kaplan, wanted.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2024
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
Here we are faced with an aesthetic that is indeed poetic, but also austere; contemplative, yet analytical, critical—at times even rough-edged.
—Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 14 May 2025
One of the things Sean Baker does exceptionally well is draw us into a vivid and highly specific milieu, nurturing our affections for characters who are rough-edged, to put it mildly, and then whip up a vortex of steadily escalating chaos.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024
Foster’s version of Sarah was more defiant and rough-edged than the producers and the director, Jonathan Kaplan, wanted.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-edged
Adjective
-
Zamiri’s style is well suited for the project, with parts of it reading like an extended music video, while the more documentary-like scenes have an unpolished feel.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Where oversized, chunky, rounded silhouettes read as frumpy and unpolished, this does the exact opposite.—
Kaelin Dodge,
InStyle,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
An evening revue of wild, uncouth performance art by local artists, emphasizing work that is often discouraged elsewhere.—
Kirby Adams,
Louisville Courier Journal,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The series offers Whitford his latest opportunity to express general bemusement with the American political process, this time sporting a bushy white beard, and Whigham his latest opportunity to be an uncouth bull in an otherwise genteel china shop.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Fiber is found in whole, unrefined plant foods like sweet potatoes, beans, and brown rice.—
Gillian Mohney,
Verywell Health,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Peserico, too, focused on wearability, presenting a collection that showed us that being unfussy doesn’t mean unrefined.—
Brett F. Braley-Palko,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The brand has come to signify rugged, often uncultured New York grit, its actual working-class relevance and celebration in seminal rap lyrics feeding internet snarkers’ stereotypes of city dwellers.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
21 Jan. 2026
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Just the opposite: The slipup shows how culture pervades even my uncultured moments.—
Harmon Siegel,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
To wit: rough-hewn wooden ceiling beams, a red travertine bar top, and other stone finishes, lush, textured fabrics, and leather straps for window treatments.—
Amy Tara Koch,
Robb Report,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Limón, 46, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, has a much calmer personality than many of her rough-hewn male predecessors.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Down these uncultivated paths, Horace’s Lydia, Tibullus’s Delia, and Ovid’s Corinna had passed, but only Virgil’s Philomela remained.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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The continent is home to 60% of the planet’s uncultivated arable land that is capable of sequestering immense amounts of carbon—yet only 16% of the global carbon credits market.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
When authorities asked King to remove the breast banner as vulgar, King taped over the nipples with stars made of tape or Magic Marker.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Sarah, the former Duchess of York, also sent emails to Epstein which included a vulgar mention of Eugenie, who had not yet turned 20 at the time, People reported.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Grumbly action dramas seem to play well on streaming services this time of year, when awards season is dying down and viewers turn to something a little trashier.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The results don’t feel like beats from a trashy TV show but instead like microcosms of the culture wars, raising uncomfortable questions about what the unscripted space is willing to normalize and gamify in 2026.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rough-edged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-edged. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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