rough-hewn

adjective

ˈrəf-ˈhyün How to pronounce rough-hewn (audio)
Definition of rough-hewnnext
1
as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed a survivalist living in a rough-hewn shelter in the wilderness

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crass
lacking in refinement or good taste a rough-hewn kid who had to learn how to behave properly in polite company

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in uncomfortable
lacking social grace and assurance rough-hewn military cadets feeling a little self-conscious at their first formal dance

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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-hewn In Maine, Graham Platner, a rough-hewn populist who had to cover up a Nazi tattoo, looks set to handily beat Janet Mills, the polished seventy-eight-year-old incumbent governor. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026 The couple created Boni’s as a slightly more rough-hewn and masculine version of their bespoke sister restaurant. — Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 4 Mar. 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 And through it all, Butler’s rough-hewn charm remains intact. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rough-hewn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-hewn
  1. clumsy
  2. crass
  3. uncomfortable
  4. rough
  5. vulgar
  6. uneasy
  7. rude
  8. coarse
Adjective
  • One of the clumsiest parts of Klosterman’s book is his attempts at political punditry.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Feed your head Neagley gets off to a sluggish start, with a workmanlike, rather clumsy first episode largely spent establishing the main characters and central plot—and the writers lean a bit too hard on constant Chicago callbacks.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of clumsy
Adjective
  • But the fashionable-at-the-time nakedness of the YBAs’ desire for money, most completely embodied by Hirst, quickly became crass.
    — Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Murdoch is thick-skinned and accustomed to being underestimated by the condescending Brits, who see him as a crass interloper.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of crass
Adjective
  • There’s also something of the uncomfortable social observation of Ruben Östlund, Bong Joon Ho or Yorgos Lanthimos, and the freedom of filmmakers who allow situations to become absurd without explaining the joke.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The dry air inside an airplane cabin, combined with hours spent wearing contact lenses during a long travel day, can leave the lenses with less moisture and eyes feeling increasingly uncomfortable, experts say.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of uncomfortable
Adjective
  • Lemmo With this kind of kit, the Lemmo 3 should be up to the task of tackling steep inclines and all manner of rough terrain.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The controls and graphics are pretty rough on GameCube, though.
    — Verge Staff, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of rough
Adjective
  • The woman's attorneys argued that the decision wrongly gives school officials wide latitude to squelch political speech based on their personal ideas of what is vulgar.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • There were fraternity brothers exchanging vulgar messages about the accuseron Snapchat, echoing what Willis says happened after she herself was assaulted in 2014.
    — Joanna Slater, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of vulgar
Adjective
  • Many of the women interviewed still feel uneasy about the experience.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
  • There was some uneasy laughter, and then, what everyone else was too afraid to say came from the only person who could.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of uneasy
Adjective
  • No rude reality intrudes on Avedon’s dream city, where the women are beautiful and in love and even the bystanders are charmed.
    — Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Which was frankly rude, since it’s been living in my house for a decade.
    — Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of rude
Adjective
  • Authorization and enforcement are almost always too coarse for what production actually requires.
    — Alex Salazar, Forbes.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Advanced internal valves are specifically engineered to filter out high-frequency vibrations from coarse road surfaces.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of coarse

Browse Nearby Words

roughens
rough-hewn
roughhouse
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Cite this Entry

“Rough-hewn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-hewn. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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