roughneck 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of roughnecknext
as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste their roughneck antics were amusing only if you were as drunk as they were

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

roughneck

2 of 2

noun

ˈrəf-ˌnek How to pronounce roughneck (audio)
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

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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 roughneck
Adjective
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 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
Noun
Zeus did not approve of his daughter fooling around with this mortal roughneck hunter and put out a hit on Orion. — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 8 Mar. 2026 Livestock ranchers, roughnecks and agriculture have had a storied past in the rural land surrounding what is now a long stretch of Interstate Highway 680. — Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for roughneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughneck
  1. vulgar
  2. thug
  3. crass
  4. gangster
  5. rude
  6. criminal
  7. coarse
  8. villain
Adjective
  • The Johnson County building was once home to Hereford House, which famously closed after a vulgar criminal case in August 2024, in which former employee Jace Hanson was arrested for contaminating the food.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 Nov. 2026
  • The character is not above asking inappropriate questions like how much an expensive shirt costs, signaling a sort of vulgar fixation on money.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of vulgar
Noun
  • The other was Albrecht Hohler, thirty, a Communist member of the paramilitary group the Red Front Fighters and well known locally as a particularly vicious thug—a petty criminal who had been released from jail only a few months earlier.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
  • These low-level thugs typically are not believed to be formally aligned with Iran.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of thug
Adjective
  • Where does a man like this — tenacious, fiery, unapologetically crass — come from?
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026
  • 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
Definition of crass
Noun
  • All those old Warner Brothers gangster movies were always playing on TV.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The Capone associates lined up six members of Moran's gang, and a seventh unaffiliated man who apparently liked hanging out with gangsters, against the north wall of the garage.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of gangster
Adjective
  • Don’t expect Miss Manners ever to issue an OK-to-be-rude pass.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Rosie Campbell, Managing Director of Eleos AI Research, a nonprofit dedicated to understanding and addressing the potential well-being of AI, said that some other studies have even shown that rude questions can actually improve results.
    — Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of rude
Noun
  • The trailers were recovered by police nearby, presumably after the criminals cut the locks to reveal they were each loaded with 20,000 pounds of sand.
    — Nick Indge, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Without changing state law, criminals can continue to be sentenced to death in California.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • Coir doormats, made with coconut fiber, are appreciated for their coarse, abrasive textures.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Gray hair is more coarse and less likely to appear shiny than other hair colors.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of coarse
Noun
  • Horowitz then brought up Skarsgard’s longtime interest in playing a villain in the James Bond franchise.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Much psychological research has focussed on the degradation of villains, but a symmetrical force works to elevate victims.
    — Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of villain

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roughly
roughneck
roughnecks
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Cite this Entry

“Roughneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughneck. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

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