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Rough Very Common

/rʌf/

Rough has 23 different meanings across 5 categories:

Noun · Verb · Adjective · Adverb · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

the part of a golf course bordering the fairway where the grass is not cut short

"After hitting my drive into the rough, I had to take another club because the tall grass made it difficult to see the ball."

2

The unmowed part of a golf course.

"After the tournament, players gathered on the rough to cool their feet in the grass while waiting for the cart path to clear."

In plain English: A rough is an old-fashioned word for a person who behaves badly or acts like a bully.

"The rough is dangerous when it appears suddenly in the harbor."

Verb
1

prepare in preliminary or sketchy form

"She sent over a rough draft of her proposal so we could review it before she finalized everything next week."

2

To create in an approximate form.

"The designer quickly sketched a rough draft of the building's facade to show the client the basic layout before adding final details."

In plain English: To rough means to treat someone badly or unfairly, often by being mean or violent.

"The waves were rough against the side of the boat."

Usage: Use this verb when you are creating something quickly or approximately, such as roughing out the shape of a piece of wood before refining it later. It is often paired with materials like stone or metal to describe the initial stage of shaping them by hand or machine.

Adjective
1

having or caused by an irregular surface

"trees with rough bark"

"rough ground"

"rough skin"

"rough blankets"

"his unsmooth face"

2

(of persons or behavior) lacking refinement or finesse

"she was a diamond in the rough"

"rough manners"

3

not quite exact or correct

"the approximate time was 10 o'clock"

"a rough guess"

"a ballpark estimate"

4

full of hardship or trials

"the rocky road to success"

"they were having a rough time"

5

violently agitated and turbulent

"boisterous winds and waves"

"the fierce thunders roar me their music"

"rough weather"

"rough seas"

6

unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound

"a gravelly voice"

7

ready and able to resort to force or violence

"pugnacious spirits...lamented that there was so little prospect of an exhilarating disturbance"

"they were rough and determined fighting men"

8

of the margin of a leaf shape; having the edge cut or fringed or scalloped

"The rough margins on the edges of these hosta leaves make them stand out against the smooth grass."

9

causing or characterized by jolts and irregular movements

"a rough ride"

10

not shaped by cutting or trimming

"an uncut diamond"

"rough gemstones"

11

not carefully or expertly made

"managed to make a crude splint"

"a crude cabin of logs with bark still on them"

"rough carpentry"

12

not perfected

"a rough draft"

"a few rough sketches"

13

unpleasantly stern

"wild and harsh country full of hot sand and cactus"

"the nomad life is rough and hazardous"

14

unkind or cruel or uncivil

"had harsh words"

"a harsh and unlovable old tyrant"

"a rough answer"

15

Not smooth; uneven.

"The path was too rough for our bicycle tires, so we had to push it through the mud."

In plain English: Rough means having an uneven, bumpy, or jagged surface that feels uncomfortable to touch.

Adverb
1

with roughness or violence (`rough' is an informal variant for `roughly')

"he was pushed roughly aside"

"they treated him rough"

2

with rough motion as over a rough surface

"ride rough"

3

In a rough manner; rudely; roughly.

"The coach shouted at the player in a rough manner after he missed the shot."

In plain English: Roughly means approximately or about when you are estimating something without being exact.

"The car moved along the road too rough for comfort."

Proper Noun
1

A surname​.

"The Rough family has lived on that farm for three generations."

Example Sentences
"The car moved along the road too rough for comfort." adv
"The rough is dangerous when it appears suddenly in the harbor." noun
"The waves were rough against the side of the boat." verb
See Also
nonslippery unironed simple irregular coarse unfinished unpolished compound
Related Terms
nonslippery unironed simple irregular coarse unfinished unpolished compound uneven gnarled texture pedrail unmowed unsurfaced squarrose unkempt asper petersham abrasively asperifolious
Antonyms
smooth cut
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
site prepare

Origin

The word rough comes from Old English rūg and originally meant having an uneven or coarse surface. It traveled directly into Middle English with this same meaning before becoming part of modern English.

Rhyming Words
hugh eugh augh lugh vugh ough pugh cough teugh yeugh nough baugh sough dough tough gough hough bough heugh laugh
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