rough
- adjective
- /rʌf/
- When we crossed icy ground, his rough glove grasped my thick knitted mitten.
- a rough surface
- rough terrain
- a rough texture
The burning girl flushed red against the rough brown of the couch.
- The burning girl flushed red against the rough brown of the couch.
- I feel like men's skin is more rough than women's.
- I mean, it's it's, it's a rough, bumpy ride.
Examples
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The walls were made of a core of rough stone blocks faced with limestone slabs.
Academic text (2008) -
The ground is smooth and rough, dry and wet.
-
Well, I mean, it seems a little rough, but...
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It's a little rough, so be nice.
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Now, these are rough, but they will give you a good idea.
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And your hands are so rough.
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There's still rough seas from the storm.
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Lirrel half-closed her eyes and leaned her back against the rough surface of the wall.
Fiction book (1991) -
A hard surface, cloud-white and flecked like marble, but rough to the touch, feeling similar to sandstone.
Fiction book (1991) -
The surface of the table is rough, making it uncomfortable to write on.
Synonyms
A surface or movement that is not smooth and has small raised parts
Not smooth or level, with parts higher and lower
A surface like sand or rough cloth that has large grains and is not smooth
An edge or outline with rough, sharp points
Having a surface you can feel that is not smooth
Something that moves in an unsteady way with sudden bumps
Rough in behavior, skill, or looks and awkward in social situations
A surface that is rough and has many sharp points, like broken rock
A thing not neatly kept or cut that looks natural
Moving with sudden, uneven bumps that make you feel unsteady
A surface that is uneven and feels rough to touch
A surface that feels bumpy or not smooth to the touch
Having a rough surface that feels slightly scratchy
Feels slightly rough to the touch
A surface that feels rough because it has small bumps or cuts
Feels rough and slightly scratchy when you touch it
Stone or wood that has a not smooth surface made with simple tools
Shaped but not smoothed or fully finished
Causing a sudden rough movement or shock
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
A soldier on horseback in the volunteer unit led by Theodore Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War
- Specialized
A small salamander with rough skin that lives near streams on the Pacific coast
A climbing evergreen plant with spiny zigzag stems, shiny leaves, and pale green flowers
- Specialized
A winter plant with weak stems that farmers use to cover soil and feed animals
- Specialized
A thin bright green snake with rough scales that is harmless and lives in the southern and eastern United States
- Specialized
An evergreen plant with rough, jointed stems that people use to scrub pans
- Specialized
A North American plant that lives for many years with rough hairy leaves and purple daisy-like flowers
- Specialized
A large Northern hawk with feathered legs that hunts small animals like mice
- Specialized
A plant from North America with rough stems and small yellow flowers
How Rough
Surface Forms
Etymology
Rough comes from an old English word ruh that meant 'hairy' or 'coarse', like an animal's shaggy fur; imagine running your hand over a sheep's coat. So when something is not smooth or even, we call it 'rough'.