1
as in crude
being such as found in nature and not altered by processing or refining
unrefined sugar
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed
an unrefined mountaineer's hut
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste
guilty of such unrefined behavior as eating with their mouths open
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 unrefined
Peserico, too, focused on wearability, presenting a collection that showed us that being unfussy doesn’t mean unrefined.
—
Brett F. Braley-Palko, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Muscovado sugar is imported, unrefined, light brown cane sugar, available under the Billington label and sold at Balducci's in New York City (212/673-2600).
—Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 23 Nov. 2025
Choose unrefined or virgin coconut oil over refined options, and perform a patch test to help avoid irritation or allergic reactions.
—Carrie Madormo, Health, 14 Nov. 2025
Getty Images Industry proposals would ship unrefined ore to overseas processors, with no domestic value added or direct supply chain benefits.
—Kevin Green, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrefined
Brett F. Braley-Palko, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Muscovado sugar is imported, unrefined, light brown cane sugar, available under the Billington label and sold at Balducci's in New York City (212/673-2600).
—Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 23 Nov. 2025
Choose unrefined or virgin coconut oil over refined options, and perform a patch test to help avoid irritation or allergic reactions.
—Carrie Madormo, Health, 14 Nov. 2025
Getty Images Industry proposals would ship unrefined ore to overseas processors, with no domestic value added or direct supply chain benefits.
—Kevin Green, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unrefined
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrefined
Adjective
-
That makes the killers kind of human and fallible and clumsy, and these movies get a lot of mileage out of the slapstick shenanigans of their slasher chases.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Then, however, Phillips was sent off four minutes into the second half for a clumsy lunge at Svante Ingelsson, and suddenly Wednesday believed.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
On Heavenly’s last record, released in 1996, their daydreamy idealism had become more vulgar and concrete, and the instrumental backing had adopted a Britpop punchiness to match; however, the album was released just after drummer Mathew Fletcher’s death, leading to Heavenly’s abrupt dissolution.—
Jude Noel,
Pitchfork,
4 Mar. 2026
-
In 2024, another former WISN-AM radio host, Jay Weber, was suspended for two weeks after posting vulgar comments about Walz's then-17-year-old neurodivergent son, Gus.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
3 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
In a not crass way, no matter what your vice of choice is, someone who enables that behavior, even just by being there, is a really relatable idea.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The vigil can come to look like voyeurism, the human care made crass.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Chong would give them a rough idea of his thoughts, which the artists would then use to develop dialogue and other details that expanded on his vision.—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
All that human saliva and mucus, absorbed and dried into a rough crust.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Perhaps surprisingly, the unfair pay and rude management didn’t trigger the most significant changes in attitude.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Whether a dish is tied to a long-standing family tradition, cultural heritage, or simply a treasured memory, etiquette experts say there’s nothing rude about choosing to keep certain recipes private.—
Alexandra Emanuelli,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Overnight guests can also choose to use an RV site or camp in tent spots or in the primitive camping areas.—
Lana Ferguson,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Treatments were so primitive that medical intervention scarcely worked into the equation.—
Steven Levingston,
Vanity Fair,
23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Today, seniors seeking relief after surgery or injury face a deeply flawed system.—
Saul Anuzis,
Boston Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
-
As in the real world, they’re populated by personalities that don’t neatly divide along a good-evil binary but are, instead, flawed yet lovable—to some other lovably flawed character, at least.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Serve the sandwiches with frozen French fries jazzed up with bits of parsley, coarse salt, black pepper, and parmesan shreds.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Use a coarse salt for more scrubbing power.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unrefined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrefined. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
