UNREFINED Synonyms: 144 Similar and Opposite Words

unrefined

adjective

ˌən-ri-ˈfīnd

Definition of unrefined

as in crude

being such as found in nature and not altered by processing or refining unrefined sugar

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in clumsy

hastily or roughly constructed an unrefined mountaineer's hut

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in vulgar

lacking in refinement or good taste guilty of such unrefined behavior as eating with their mouths open

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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 Expansion means more training-wheel games involving unrefined players. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Sep. 2026 The capsules are gelatin-free and the oil is cold-pressed and unrefined. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 Nutritionists generally note that the amount of trace minerals consumed in a pinch of any salt is small, so unrefined salts should not be viewed as a substitute for a mineral-rich diet. — Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026 Such tools helped the New York Yankees make stars out of two unrefined college players, right-hander Cam Schlittler, a seventh-rounder out of Northeastern, and first baseman Ben Rice, a 12th-rounder out of Dartmouth. — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for unrefined

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unrefined

Adjective

As Ivan and Nina wrestle with their own emotional truths, which range from her mother Nora’s departure from their lives to Ivan’s clumsy recitations of Nina’s childhood antics, something alarming is afoot.

— Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Here, his clumsy, winky, affected, and self-undercutting direction can’t even work the charming Jenna Ortega to a great performance, as her Klara is flattened into a bundle of manic pixie mannerisms both physical and verbal.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of clumsy

Adjective

Taylor describes inappropriate physical touch, as well as the knight cornering her and saying vulgar things.

— Alessandra Schade, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026
In her smartly vulgar The Seasons (1957), which extends nearly 17 feet, Krasner returns to the subject of rebirth one year after Pollock’s death, depicting abundant forms resembling genitalia.

— John Yau, ARTnews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of vulgar

Adjective

The Pistons have raced out to a hot start, while the Knicks are still searching for answers after a rough opening week.

— David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Molcajetes constructed of lava rock with pits creating a rough and not smooth nor easily cleanable surface were in the facility.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of rough

Adjective

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
Murdoch is thick-skinned and accustomed to being underestimated by the condescending Brits, who see him as a crass interloper.

— David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of crass

Adjective

While older generations may interpret limited eye contact, a flat expression or a pause before responding as rude, lazy or unprofessional, that might not be a younger person’s intent at all, Leahy said.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Bel glows with a kind of rude Californian health and goes once a week for chiropractic adjustments, including of her jaw.

— Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of rude

Adjective

Biting lines such as these come frequently from Diplo, who has little in the way of a filter and a coarse sense of humor, especially on social media.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026
In a mortar and pestle, crush the coriander seeds and peppercorns until cracked but still coarse.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of coarse

Adjective

Celebrated as masterpieces today, at the time they were regarded as the unpolished works of a depressed, crazy man and commercially worthless.

— Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
One young fashion photographer who made a name for himself at indie mags like i-D with his unpolished images of a teenage Kate Moss, was Juergen Teller.

— Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of unpolished

Browse Nearby Words

unredeemed

unrefined

unreflective

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Style

“Unrefined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unrefined. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of unrefined

adjective

Example Sentences

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