ROUGH-EDGED Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

rough-edged

adjective

Definition of rough-edged

as in unpolished

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-edged

Adjective

As Kay and Downs told IndieWire, HBO itself saw the upstart TV creators as unpolished talent with a quick ear for dialogue and a sharp eye for detail, but with no idea of how to structure a season of TV.

— Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 11 July 2026
The establishment’s theory of the case has always been that popular insurgents are too risky, too unpolished, too outside the lane.

— Tad Devine, Fortune, 7 July 2026

Definition of unpolished

Adjective

An uncouth mix of stress and chlorine exposure recently left my skin simultaneously drier and more breakout-prone than it's been in quite a long time, and my usual routine of a quarter-size drop of skin tint just wasn’t cutting it anymore.

— Sarah Hoffmann, Allure, 1 July 2026
And any expression otherwise is so taboo or deemed uncouth, and we aren’t allowed to talk about it in our art and media.

— Rachel Handler, Vulture, 14 May 2026

Definition of uncouth

Adjective

Such tools helped the New York Yankees make stars out of two unrefined college players, right-hander Cam Schlittler, a seventh-rounder out of Northeastern, and first baseman Ben Rice, a 12th-rounder out of Dartmouth.

— Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 24 June 2026
Lucas Blalock likewise finds tragicomic potential in photography itself, inverting Photoshop as a mere tool of postproduction to foreground it as generative and creative, leaving visible traces of labor in ugly edits and unrefined refinements.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026

Definition of unrefined

Adjective

The problem is that this group is mostly comprised of uncultured idiots, so Shai and Georgia are the only people who know what Rocky Horror is.

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 16 July 2026
In certain circles, identifying with the city is shorthand for being uncultured and self-obsessed, even soulless.

— Ella Berman August 7, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2025

Definition of uncultured

Adjective

The rustic interior has plenty of simple, rough-hewn wooden furniture, which allows beautiful plates of pintxos and tapas to shine brightly.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 June 2026
As the title suggests, Music In Continuous Motion picks up right where its predecessor left off, with Orcutt assembling overdubbed guitar lines into brief, interlocking pieces that balance rough-hewn primitivism against painterly precision.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 1 June 2026

Definition of rough-hewn

Adjective

From blazing stars and diminutive buttercups to uncultivated roses and sunflowers, the Midwest is blessed with many gorgeous native wildflowers.

— Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Midwest Living, 20 Apr. 2026
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

Definition of uncultivated

Adjective

Lonnie is loud, obnoxious, and vulgar in ways that rankle traditional golfers.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
Suki, a vocal Black woman with an at times vulgar persona, whereas Althoff, a white woman, gained a reputation as an awkward, seemingly timid interviewer on her The Really Good Podcast.

— Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026

Definition of vulgar

Adjective

Contrary to their label, these cocktails are more than a trashy afterthought; their flavor pairings are as well considered as any other on the menu.

— Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
Supergirl often plays like a poor James Gunn impression, full of trashy space bars, needle drops and slow-motion fight scenes spinning around in a circle.

— Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Definition of trashy

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roughed

rough-edged

roughed it

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“Rough-edged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-edged. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of rough-edged

adjective

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