1
as in bitterness
a harsh or sharp quality
a roughness to the wine that should decrease with age
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rudeness
the quality or state of lacking refinement or good taste
the roughness of pioneer life is not glossed over in the documentary
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 roughness
In the final two minutes and overtime, the limits expand to include unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct.
—
Nick Harris
april 1, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
Interest in imperfection, roughness, and asymmetry was already growing in the digital era before AI arrived.
—Andrey Mir, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
There is still a little roughness around the edges.
—Adam Ismail, The Drive, 25 Mar. 2026
The aesthetic favors deliberate roughness and mistakes over a sterile, polished sheen.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Whether bumps or pits, roughness or a distinct lack of luminosity, uneven skin texture impacts all of us at some point.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2026
Taking inspiration from observing the rawness of Ma Tei’s Temple Street, the collectionmerges haute couture tailoring with the roughness of grassroots life.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 18 Feb. 2026
The term plant texture refers to the fineness or coarseness, roughness or smoothness, heaviness or lightness of a particular plant.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
The roughness of a curling stone is what allows the rocks to curl.
—Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Nick Harris
april 1, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2026
Interest in imperfection, roughness, and asymmetry was already growing in the digital era before AI arrived.
—Andrey Mir, Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
There is still a little roughness around the edges.
—Adam Ismail, The Drive, 25 Mar. 2026
The aesthetic favors deliberate roughness and mistakes over a sterile, polished sheen.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Whether bumps or pits, roughness or a distinct lack of luminosity, uneven skin texture impacts all of us at some point.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2026
Taking inspiration from observing the rawness of Ma Tei’s Temple Street, the collectionmerges haute couture tailoring with the roughness of grassroots life.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 18 Feb. 2026
The term plant texture refers to the fineness or coarseness, roughness or smoothness, heaviness or lightness of a particular plant.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 15 Feb. 2026
The roughness of a curling stone is what allows the rocks to curl.
—Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughness
Noun
-
As was the case then, an inequitable solution now will further widen social and economic divisions and foment bitterness in this country.—
Robert Hormats,
Fortune,
6 Apr. 2026
-
For example, maror, or bitter herbs, represent the bitterness of slavery.—
Lucia Cheng,
Des Moines Register,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But if there truly is an epidemic of canine defecation in your area, then the solution is not to turn up the rudeness volume, but to appeal to a system or organization that addresses public health or the care of public spaces.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
But only those who had been woken up without warning with a degree of rudeness would remember this night when their own time came.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The company, Zhan expects, will be more efficient than other cutting-edge labs due to his experience building Gemini, which is Google’s artificial intelligence model.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In men’s sports, fandom comes with much more of an edge.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That feeling stops, however, when pulling into gas stations or parking lots, where the length and lowness of the car require extreme care to keep the chin from scraping.—
Byron Hurd,
The Drive,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Medical experts say if a rattlesnake bites, keep the area still, at or below heart level, do not apply ice, do not cut the wound, and do not suck out the venom – and seek help immediately.—
Jasmine Viel,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Eat the elephant one bite at a time, Redd recommends.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But many seemingly urbane texts also benefited from the intellectual and moral coarseness of their times.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The term plant texture refers to the fineness or coarseness, roughness or smoothness, heaviness or lightness of a particular plant.—
David Beaulieu,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Sunlight naturally sanitizes, and air drying prevents the harshness of high heat.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The tinted visor that Morgan Geekie wore for two games against the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars in January could help mute the lights’ harshness.—
Fluto Shinzawa,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Anthropic’s researchers say Mythos Preview was able to detect thousands of high- and critical-severity bugs and software defects, with vulnerabilities identified in most major operating systems and web browsers.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The report also found that traffic signal changes put in place in 2020 had little impact on crash frequency or severity, the city said, and that crash trends on Randall Road remain generally consistent with historical averages.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Roughness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughness. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
