1
as in uneven
not having a level or smooth surface
a rough board can give you splinters
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2
as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
rough waters that made sailing our sloop a little risky
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3
as in turbulent
marked by wet and windy conditions
at least wear a raincoat if you're going out into that rough weather
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4
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
a forensics expert who willingly takes on rough assignments
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5
as in harsh
difficult to endure
I've had a rough time of it since I lost my job
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6
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
the rough faces of hardened criminals who had spent most of their lives behind bars
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7
as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed
made a rough camp as darkness fell over the forest
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8
as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste
he learned polite words to replace the rough language he had known growing up
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9
as in shaggy
covered with or as if with hair
a face rough with a couple days' worth of beard
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10
11
12
as in wild
marked by turmoil or disturbance especially of natural elements
after a rough week on the high seas, we were happy to sail through the gulf's more tranquil waters
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1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner
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2
as in to abuse
to abuse physically
the photographer claimed that he had been roughed up by the actor's bodyguards outside the club
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as in tough
Related Words
as in to chop
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rough
Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 23 June 2025
Oakmont was as advertised this week, with some of the game’s best like Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and more struggling to find answers for its tough greens, thick roughs, and the pouring rain that came down on Sunday certainly didn’t help matters for those vying for the championship.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2025
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 June 2025
Tour Lineup One of the main elements of Warped Tour is the camaraderie between bands that roughed it out together amongst cramped vans and tents for years.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025
Janis Carr, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
It's been rough since losing Joe Burrow.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough
Adjective
The course features narrow fairways and primary rough that will range from 3.5 to 5 inches during the tournament.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 23 June 2025
Oakmont was as advertised this week, with some of the game’s best like Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and more struggling to find answers for its tough greens, thick roughs, and the pouring rain that came down on Sunday certainly didn’t help matters for those vying for the championship.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2025
Verb
Meanwhile, young Spike is back on the mainland, roughing it but clearly surviving.
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 20 June 2025
Tour Lineup One of the main elements of Warped Tour is the camaraderie between bands that roughed it out together amongst cramped vans and tents for years.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2025
Noun
The Clippers continue to have rough spots, namely within the first unit, Lue said.
—Janis Carr, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
It's been rough since losing Joe Burrow.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough
Adjective
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After years of uneven results, prospects at main camp gave an indication that this season might be different.—
Allan Mitchell,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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Geographic and demographic disparities The uneven distribution of EV charging infrastructure is a huge challenge.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Others, like Ghiath Dalla, a brigadier general whose forces were involved in violent repression of protests, is among several former officers plotting sabotage from Lebanon, according to ex-military commanders, who also shared text message exchanges with The Times.—
Danny Makki,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Continue reading … FED UP – Trump storms most violent US city with federal muscle as police group warns of soft-on-crime consequences.—
,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Nintendo Switch era has been turbulent for the franchise, to put it mildly.—
Ryan Gaur,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
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Now, in an increasingly turbulent world, those barriers are going back up.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Travel could be very difficult to impossible.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
12 Oct. 2025
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This Is My Story While Israel and Hamas have accepted the two-phase agreement, many of the more difficult issues have been left unresolved.—
Richard Hall,
Time,
12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The end result of a tough negotiation that included a nearly two-week blackout of Disney channels on Charter in 2023 was a much closer working relationship between the two.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
11 Oct. 2025
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Just a week after giving birth, Menish took her six-hour Evidence exam from home in December 2023 — one of the toughest finals in the curriculum.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Both are ruggedly handsome, gruff and not short on ego.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Oct. 2025
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Panday plays a convincingly gruff tortured artist alongside Padda’s struggling ingenue, and most of the screen time is devoted to their pairing instead of introducing tertiary excess.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Arturs Silovs looked a bit clumsy in the first period and his rebound control was less than stellar.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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Actually, Alma does suffer from ulcers, which cause her extraordinary stomach pain and vomiting at inconvenient moments, and cause viewers to wonder not if but when such clumsy symbolic traits will be trotted out in the future.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The president has been targeting Jeffries online with offensive and vulgar memes since the pair first had an unsuccessful sit-down meeting in the Oval Office just before the shutdown.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
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One room cracked up at a vulgar joke about a woman’s behind, while another went for an outrageous and surreal midfilm montage — but each bit was made genuinely funnier by the dozens of people gasping and wheezing over it.—
Robert Rubsam,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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