rough.
Not smooth; uneven.
Meaning & usage
Not smooth; uneven.
rough hands
rough stone
Approximate; hasty or careless; not finished.
a rough copy
a rough estimate
Turbulent.
rough sea
rough water
Difficult; trying.
Being a teenager nowadays can be rough.
Crude; unrefined.
His manners are a bit rough, but he means well.
Worn; shabby; weather-beaten.
Having socio-economic problems, hence possibly dangerous.
the rough bit of town
Violent; not careful or subtle.
rough words
This box has been through some rough handling.
Loud and hoarse; offensive to the ear; harsh; grating.
a rough tone
a rough voice
Not polished; uncut.
a rough diamond
Harsh-tasting.
rough wine
Somewhat ill; sick; in poor condition.
Unwell due to alcohol; hungover.
Of or relating to the rough breathing in the Greek language.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English rough, roughe, roȝe, row, rou, ru, ruȝ, ruh, from Old English rūg, rūh, from Proto-Germanic *rūhaz. Cognate with Scots ruch, rouch (“rough”), Saterland Frisian ruuch, rouch (“rough”), West Frisian rûch (“rough”), Low German ruuch (“rough”), Dutch ruig (“rough”), German rau(h) (“rough”), Danish ru (“uneven on the surface, "rough", "rugged"”).
The unmowed part of a golf course.
A rude fellow; a coarse bully; a rowdy.
A scuffed and roughened area of the pitch, where the bowler's feet fall, used as a target by spin bowlers because of its unpredictable bounce.
The raw material from which faceted or cabochon gems are created.
A quick sketch, similar to a thumbnail but larger and more detailed, used for artistic brainstorming.
Boisterous weather.
A piece inserted in a horseshoe to keep the animal from slipping.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English rough, roughe, roȝe, row, rou, ru, ruȝ, ruh, from Old English rūg, rūh, from Proto-Germanic *rūhaz. Cognate with Scots ruch, rouch (“rough”), Saterland Frisian ruuch, rouch (“rough”), West Frisian rûch (“rough”), Low German ruuch (“rough”), Dutch ruig (“rough”), German rau(h) (“rough”), Danish ru (“uneven on the surface, "rough", "rugged"”).
To create in an approximate form.
Rough in the shape first, then polish the details.
To break the rules by being excessively violent.
To commit the offense of roughing, i.e. to punch another player.
To render rough; to roughen.
To break in (a horse, etc.), especially for military purposes.
To endure primitive conditions.
to rough it
To roughen a horse's shoes to keep the animal from slipping.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English rough, roughe, roȝe, row, rou, ru, ruȝ, ruh, from Old English rūg, rūh, from Proto-Germanic *rūhaz. Cognate with Scots ruch, rouch (“rough”), Saterland Frisian ruuch, rouch (“rough”), West Frisian rûch (“rough”), Low German ruuch (“rough”), Dutch ruig (“rough”), German rau(h) (“rough”), Danish ru (“uneven on the surface, "rough", "rugged"”).
In a rough manner; rudely; roughly.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English rough, roughe, roȝe, row, rou, ru, ruȝ, ruh, from Old English rūg, rūh, from Proto-Germanic *rūhaz. Cognate with Scots ruch, rouch (“rough”), Saterland Frisian ruuch, rouch (“rough”), West Frisian rûch (“rough”), Low German ruuch (“rough”), Dutch ruig (“rough”), German rau(h) (“rough”), Danish ru (“uneven on the surface, "rough", "rugged"”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.