as in thugs
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of roughnecks
The show focuses on roughnecks and billionaires in West Texas who are trying to get rich as the oil industry continues to take over the state.
—
Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
But this is a look at the more dynamic version, like the roughnecks out in the patch and the offices in Dallas and Fort Worth.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
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
Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
But this is a look at the more dynamic version, like the roughnecks out in the patch and the offices in Dallas and Fort Worth.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughnecks
Noun
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The masked thugs deposit a tearful middle-aged woman in front of Bass, Newsom, and Harris.—
Conor Friedersdorf,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
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White thugs destroyed it in the 1921 Race Massacre.—
Jasmine Desiree,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Noun
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The bigger issue is that many systems still rely on information criminals may already have, such as birthdays, addresses and partial Social Security numbers.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
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Morrison has covered stories worldwide, interviewing everyone from presidents and prime ministers, student protesters under fire in Tiananmen Square, to criminals, teachers, artists, actors and authors.—
Dateline NBC,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Noun
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In every revolution, there are gangsters.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
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But when the pair decides to let Rotta go instead, Mando is captured by the bounty hunter Embo as punishment for double-crossing the slimy galactic gangsters, prompting Grogu (and a bunch of ridiculously cute Anzellans) to set out on an adventure to rescue him.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 May 2026
Noun
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Deportees from the United States are especially vulnerable to robbery and kidnapping because gangs and bandits assume that their families can pay larger ransoms.—
Caitlin Dickerson,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2026
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Joined by her hapless but loyal classmate Curtis Mehlberg (Jacob Tremblay), Prue navigates a world of talking animals, bandits, and powerful figures driven by grief and ambition.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Noun
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The spot is known for its utter romance and distinct architecture, with buildings featuring balconies hovering over the water—it's said these were used by resident merchants to load their goods directly onto boats and (hopefully) avoid pirates.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
27 May 2026
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International actors have policed the pirates ever since the world first became aware of the Somali pirate crisis, when there were as many as 200 incidents of piracy between 2009 and 2011.—
Luke McGee,
Time,
27 May 2026
Noun
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Fast forward two years, and they are now presented as villains in a way no other team has since the late 1990s Yankees teams.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
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Simon was more interested in sociological dynamics about what makes a city tick than traditional heroes or villains, creating a complex portrait of humanity at its best and worst.—
Derek Lawrence,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Noun
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So, while Rue and Maddy are confabbing over milkshakes in a diner, Alamo sends Rue off for a drive with his two toughs, G (Marshawn Lynch) and the icy Bishop (Darrell Britt-Gibson).—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
11 May 2026
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The gangland drama is deeper and darker than the domestic one, strengthened by the unexpected portrayal of the Russian toughs as bumbling in their own way.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Roughnecks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughnecks. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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