ROUGH-EDGED Synonyms: 49 Similar and Opposite Words

rough-edged

adjective

Definition of rough-edged

as in unpolished

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Example Sentences

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

Despite their looser fit, these jeans are structured enough to pair with blouses, oversized shirts, bulky sweaters, and other roomy tops without looking messy or unpolished.

— Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2026
Tired girl makeup looks poised to stick around, folded into a broader movement toward grunge, indie sleaze and deliberately unpolished beauty.

— Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of unpolished

Adjective

People had used rude words on television before, but never in such uncouth tones as Lydon and Jones in a regional ITV interview on 1 December 1976.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 23 Aug. 2026
His gruff mechanic Cooter Davenport is introduced as a hell-raising, uncouth wild man, constantly taunting the authorities and flouting convention.

— Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of uncouth

Adjective

Next, take a lint-free cloth and rub a small amount of virgin, unrefined coconut oil into the wood in a swirling circular fashion.

— Emily Hayes, Martha Stewart, 17 Sep. 2026
Typically made with commodity-quality beans, this potent cup is brewed in a metal pot or filtered through cloth and sweetened with panela (unrefined cane sugar).

— Nikkita Nair, Saveur, 10 Sep. 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

Lionized by Belle and Sebastian in the ’90s, the Scottish duo of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton have evolved from rough-hewn folkies who dabbled in dance music to dance musicians who dabble in folk over their 30-year history.

— David Harris, SPIN, 8 Sep. 2026
The outdoor cinema is wrapped by a rough-hewn Brutalist perimeter—half-lined with concrete cubes, the other half enclosed with planks salvaged from the boardwalk destroyed during Hurricane Sandy.

— Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Sep. 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

Despite their pointy protrusions, the sculptures are not spiky enough to leave a mark; and despite their flirtations with touchy subject matter, none of the works—not even the 9/11 ones—are vulgar enough to get Wolfson in hot water.

— Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
But Trump’s obsession with these vulgar memorials to his own vanity is a reminder of the darkness around him, of his hostility to democracy, his loathing of honor, and his disordered mind.

— Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of vulgar

Adjective

Lamb’s success, says Ink, ushered in the era of sensationalism, trashy gossip, misinformation, influencers, and Trump.

— Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026
Chrome’s trashy, thrashy playing wedded the urgency of punk with devotion to older, sleazy rock ’n’ roll.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 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 27 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of rough-edged

adjective

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