rough

SayRUFUK/ɹʌf//ɹɐf/

29 meanings of rough

1
adjective
Having an uneven, bumpy surface and not smooth to the touch.
Like the bark of a tree, not smooth like glass.
The old wooden table felt rough under her fingers.
We hiked up a rough, stony path.
Similarcoarse, uneven, bumpy, rugged, jagged
Oppositesmooth
Note
2
adjective
Made quickly and not exact or fully finished.
Like a quick sketch before the real picture is drawn.
She drew a rough map so we could find the house.
Give me a rough idea of how much it costs.
Similarapproximate, preliminary, crude, sketchy, estimated
Oppositeexact, precise, detailed
3
adjective
Hard to get through and full of trouble.
Like traveling a road full of deep holes.
She had a rough week after losing her job.
Things got rough when the money ran out.
Similardifficult, hard, tough, trying, grueling
Oppositeeasy
4
adjective
Moving in a wild, stormy way, like the sea in a storm.
Like water churning inside a washing machine.
The sea was too rough for the small boats to go out.
Strong winds made the lake rough by afternoon.
Similarchoppy, stormy, turbulent, wild, tempestuous
Oppositecalm, smooth
5
adjective
Using hard force and not being gentle or careful.
The game got a little rough near the end.
Don't be so rough with the puppy.
Similarviolent, forceful, brutal, physical, aggressive
Oppositegentle
6
adjective
Plain and simple, without polish or fine manners.
Like an uncut stone before anyone shapes it.
His manners were rough but his heart was kind.
He spoke in a rough, country way.
Similarcrude, unpolished, unrefined, raw, rustic
Oppositepolished, refined
7
adjective
Poor and full of problems, and sometimes not safe.
She grew up in a rough part of the city.
That street has a rough name around town.
Similartough, dangerous, seedy, deprived, run-down
Oppositesafe, affluent
8
adjective
Looking old and worn from hard use or bad weather.
His old coat looked rough after years of work.
The fence had a rough, weather-beaten look.
Similarweathered, weather-beaten, shabby, worn, battered
9
adjective
Still in a natural state and not yet cut or polished.
Like a stone picked from a river before it is shaped.
A rough diamond can look like an ordinary pebble.
The miners brought up several rough stones.
Similaruncut, unpolished, raw, natural
Oppositecut, polished
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10
adjective
Sounding harsh and hoarse instead of smooth and pleasant.
Like the sound of a rusty gate that needs oil.
His voice was rough from shouting all day.
She let out a rough, scratchy cough.
Similarhoarse, harsh, gravelly, husky, raspy
Oppositesmooth, mellow
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11
adverb
In a hard or rude way, not gently.
The team played rough in the second half.
Don't handle the boxes so rough.
Similarharshly, rudely, violently, forcefully
Oppositegently, tenderly
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12
noununcountable
The long grass at the edge of a golf course that is not cut short.
Like the messy grass at the edge of a tidy lawn.
His ball landed in the rough beside the green.
She struggled to hit out of the deep rough.
Oppositefairway
13
verbtransitive
To make something quickly in an unfinished, approximate way.
Like blocking out a drawing before coloring it in.
First we rough the shape, then we smooth the edges.
Let me rough a quick plan before we start.
Similarsketch, draft, outline, block
Oppositerefine, polish
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14
verbtransitive
To live for a while without normal comforts.
Like camping with no beds and no running water.
We rough it in a tent every summer.
They rough it for a week with no electricity.
Similarcamp
Note
15
adjective
Having a harsh, sharp taste that is not smooth.
Like a drink so sharp it makes you wince.
The young wine tasted rough and a bit bitter.
This cheap whiskey is rough going down.
Similarharsh, sharp, coarse, acidic, astringent
Oppositesmooth, mellow
16
nouncountable
A quick drawing made early on to try out ideas for a picture or design.
Like a practice drawing you make before the real one.
She showed the client a rough before starting the final poster.
The designer kept several roughs pinned to the wall for ideas.
Similarsketch, draft, mock-up
Note
17
noununcountable
Uncut stone in its natural state, before it is shaped and polished into a gem.
Like a lump of clay before it is shaped into a smooth pot.
The dealer bought a parcel of rough straight from the mine.
Cutters study the rough carefully before deciding how to shape each stone.
18
verbtransitive
To make a smooth surface coarse and bumpy instead of smooth.
Like rubbing sandpaper over wood to make it scratchy.
Sand the wood lightly to rough the surface before painting.
He roughed the metal so the glue would hold better.
Similarroughen, score, abrade, texture, key
Oppositesmooth, polish
19
verbtransitive
To hit or shove another player in a way that breaks the rules of the game.
Like shoving someone hard during a game when the rules say you can't.
The defenseman was sent off for trying to rough the goalie.
He roughed an opponent after the whistle and drew a penalty.
Similarfoul, shove
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20
verbintransitive
To break the rules of a sport by being too violent.
Like playing so hard you cross the line into hurting someone.
If you rough during the match, the referee will stop the fight.
He roughed throughout the bout and lost points.
Similarfoul
Note
21
adjectiveslangIrelandUK
Feeling sick and tired the morning after drinking too much alcohol.
I felt really rough after the party last night.
He looked rough on Sunday morning after all those pints.
Similarhungover, seedy, fragile, delicate
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22
adjectiveslangIrelandUK
Feeling a bit sick or in bad shape.
I've been feeling rough all week with this cold.
He looked rough after days in the hospital.
Similarunwell, ill, poorly, sick, lousy
Oppositewell, healthy
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23
nouncountable
A rude, rowdy man who likes to fight or bully others.
Like the neighborhood bully who picks fights for fun.
A gang of roughs hung around the corner looking for trouble.
The old man was afraid the rough would hit him.
Similarruffian, thug, hooligan, tough, lout
Oppositegentleman
Note
24
noununcountable
A worn, scratched patch on the cricket pitch that spin bowlers aim at because the ball bounces unevenly there.
Like a worn patch on a road that makes a ball bounce in surprising ways.
The spinner pitched the ball into the rough to make it turn sharply.
By day four the rough outside off stump was badly worn.
Note
25
verbtransitive
To train a wild horse to accept a rider, often for army use.
Like teaching a scared animal to trust you step by step.
The cavalry needed men who could rough a horse within a week.
He roughed the colt until it would carry a saddle calmly.
Similarbreak, train, tame
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26
verbtransitive
To scratch or sharpen a horse's shoes so the animal won't slip on ice or smooth ground.
Like adding grips to your boots so you don't slide on ice.
The blacksmith roughed the shoes before the icy ride.
Farmers would rough their horses' shoes each winter.
Similarroughen
27
adjective
Describing the Greek breathing mark that puts an 'h' sound before a vowel.
In Greek, a rough breathing tells you to say an 'h' before the vowel.
The word for 'seven' begins with a rough breathing.
Oppositesmooth
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28
nouncountable
A small metal piece put into a horseshoe to stop the horse from slipping.
Like the metal studs on soccer boots that grip the grass.
The smith hammered a rough into each shoe before the frost.
Without a rough or two, the horse would slide on the ice.
Similarstud, calk
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29
nounobsolete
Wild, stormy weather with strong wind.
Like the kind of storm that keeps everyone indoors.
The fishermen stayed ashore through the rough that lashed the coast.
In calms you fish; in roughs use songs and dances.
1633, Phineas Fletcher, Eclog 1. AmyntasHere, roughs means times of wild, stormy weather with strong wind.
Note

Practice

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Origin

It comes from Old English "rūh" and older Germanic roots. Related words appear in Dutch and German.