as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste
their roughneck antics were amusing only if you were as drunk as they were
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang
a group of roughnecks like to hang out at the roadhouse and harass people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of roughneck
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 June 2025
Where was Benn, their leader and roughneck captain, when Evan Bouchard gave Hintz a dirty slash on the top of his foot — in the exact same place Darnell Nurse injured him and cost him a game and a half — in Game 4?
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Aug. 2025
The show seems organically suited for a more action comedy take, given Hooker’s old style and often roughneck crime fighting style, which seemed out of place in a more woke world.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roughneck
Adjective
Solomon’s estranged roughneck father (Chris Bauer) hawks macho health supplements and scams Solomon into becoming one of his salesmen.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 June 2025
Where was Benn, their leader and roughneck captain, when Evan Bouchard gave Hintz a dirty slash on the top of his foot — in the exact same place Darnell Nurse injured him and cost him a game and a half — in Game 4?
—Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Noun
Local agency Legacy Casting is putting out a call for real-life oil and gas workers, or roughnecks, to appear in the show.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Aug. 2025
The show seems organically suited for a more action comedy take, given Hooker’s old style and often roughneck crime fighting style, which seemed out of place in a more woke world.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for roughneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughneck
Adjective
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Although the Ripken card launched many conspiracy theories as to whether the inclusion of its vulgar phrase was truly a mistake or a Fleer marketing ploy, there is a long history of errors making it through quality control in sports card production.—
Tyler Holzhammer,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
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The joke swap during last year's Christmas episode went to some particularly jaw-dropping places after Che made Jost read a vulgar joke about Johansson.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
21 Dec. 2025
Noun
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In this black comedy adapted from the graphic novel, when a bunch of thugs come to her door demanding that Paige’s grandfather (Liam Neeson) help them out with a bank heist, Paige decides to rescue him by doing it herself, with her friends.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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Although the film became a template for white revenge fantasies, its street thugs are assembled with almost comic care to avoid racial bias.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Often, the art created out of activism is productive and instructional, rather than crass or shocking, Duarte said.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Dec. 2025
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Unable to project solemn grief, conservatives went with spectacle and crass remarks.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
21 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Or downtown was too unsafe, during the gangster era.—
Jared Kaufman,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
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Beset by gangs and guns, the Haçienda faltered in the ’90s despite clever-sounding schemes such as replacing the club’s security with the gangsters themselves.—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Currently, the Police Oversight office allows complainants to resolve more minor complaints, like when an officer is rude, by asking that the officer's supervisor to talk to them about their conduct.—
Austin Sanders,
Austin American Statesman,
12 Jan. 2026
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Asking a neighbor to shovel their side of the sidewalk is not inherently rude.—
Olivia McIntosh,
Martha Stewart,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The first thing to do is to reduce the damage to the United States, the inflow of guns and criminals and immigrants and drugs into the United States, the destabilizing of a key part of the Western Hemisphere.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
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Also, place freezes with ChexSystems and the National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange to stop criminals from opening bank accounts, phone lines, or utility services in his name.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Sorkin finds no heroes but also no villains.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
11 Jan. 2026
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But what Ole Miss has had to deal with is beyond the norm, with Kiffin in the villain’s role.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Additionally, Jenkins notes that ingrown hairs and experiencing coarser hair growth can become a factor.—
Tatayana Yomary,
Essence,
7 Jan. 2026
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Furthermore, the fine sand particles were dispersed and replaced by coarser sand particles, which covered the nest site.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Roughneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughneck. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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