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Intermediate Dictionary
       

rough

 
 
pronunciation:
ruhf
phrases:
rough it
features:
Homophone Note, Word Builder, Word Explorer
part of speech: adjective
inflections: rougher, roughest
definition 1: having an uneven surface; not smooth.
Our car shook as we drove over the rough road.The rough cloth scratched my cheek.
synonyms:
coarse, irregular, uneven
antonyms:
smooth, soft
similar words:
bumpy, harsh, jagged, ragged, rocky, rugged, scratchy
definition 2: marked by difficult conditions.
The rough sea rocked the ship.Lots of snow made for a rough winter.
synonyms:
difficult, harsh, violent
antonyms:
gentle, smooth
similar words:
hard, rugged, severe
definition 3: not polite or kind.
He was friends with a rough bunch of people.
synonyms:
tough
antonyms:
gentle, nice, tender
similar words:
aggressive, bad, coarse, dangerous, disorderly, unruly, violent, wild
definition 4: without the good things of ordinary daily life.
Poor people often have rough lives.
similar words:
crude, primitive
definition 5: not finished.
We had just a rough idea of what we wanted our new house to be like.
synonyms:
imperfect, incomplete
similar words:
crude, partial, preliminary, sketchy
definition 6: needing physical strength.
Clearing the rocks from the field was rough work.
similar words:
demanding, difficult, hard, physical, tough
phrase: rough it
derivations: roughly (adv.), roughness (n.)
Homophone Note
Are you looking for the word ruff (a collar)? Rough and ruff sound alike but have different meanings.
Word Builder: rough +
  • roughly:
    in a rough way.
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