Synonyms of scabrous

scabrous

adjective

as in troublesome

Related Words

• troublesome
• vexing
• vexatious
• stubborn
• troublous
• worrisome
• complex
• recondite
• abstract
• intricate
• abstruse
• serious
• problem
• complicated
• painful
• oppressive
• spiny
• involved
• importunate
• exhausting
• hairy
• knotty
• burdensome
• onerous
• exacting
• thorny
• inconvenient
• stressful
• hard
• demanding
• difficult
• prickly
• sensitive
• sticky
• problematic
• touchy
• ticklish
• catchy
• tricky
• discommoding
• dodgy
• tough
• tricksy
• nasty
• delicate

Dissimilar Words

• uncomplicated
• easy
• simple
• straightforward
• painless
• manageable
• effortless
• undemanding
• unproblematic

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective scabrous contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of scabrous are harsh, rough, rugged, and uneven. While all these words mean "not smooth or even," scabrous implies scaliness or prickliness of surface.

a scabrous leaf

Where would harsh be a reasonable alternative to scabrous?

The meanings of harsh and scabrous largely overlap; however, harsh implies a surface or texture distinctly unpleasant to the touch.

a harsh fabric that chafes the skin

When would rough be a good substitute for scabrous?

While in some cases nearly identical to scabrous, rough implies points, bristles, ridges, or projections on the surface.

a rough wooden board

When could rugged be used to replace scabrous?

While the synonyms rugged and scabrous are close in meaning, rugged implies irregularity or roughness of land surface and connotes difficulty of travel.

a rugged landscape

When is it sensible to use uneven instead of scabrous?

The words uneven and scabrous can be used in similar contexts, but uneven implies a lack of uniformity in height, breadth, or quality.

an old house with uneven floors

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scabrous

Is this Scott redoing American Gangster as a grand Italian tragedy, or scabrous comedy about a family undone by their ineptitude and excess? —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024

Jacobs wrote the script with these three actors in mind, which was perhaps shocking news to each of them, who play scabrous women who locate the worst characteristics of each other and then blow them up into throwdown fights. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2024

At nearly three hours, the anthology film was divisive: Some hailed its scabrous take on human nature as brilliant, and others derided it as bloated. —Matt Donnelly, Variety, 21 May 2024

Malcolm is the pressure-release valve in Baumbach's scabrous follow-up to 2005's The Squid and the Whale, and one of many points of contention between Margot and Pauline. —Erik Adams, EW.com, 18 July 2023