rough Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the part of a golf course bordering the fairway where the grass is not cut short
  2. verb prepare in preliminary or sketchy form
    rough in; rough out.
  3. adjective having or caused by an irregular surface
    unsmooth.
    • trees with rough bark
    • rough ground
    • rough skin
    • rough blankets
    • his unsmooth face
  4. adjective satellite (of persons or behavior) lacking refinement or finesse
    • she was a diamond in the rough
    • rough manners
  5. adjective satellite not quite exact or correct
    approximative; approximate.
    • the approximate time was 10 o'clock
    • a rough guess
    • a ballpark estimate
  6. adjective satellite full of hardship or trials
    rocky.
    • the rocky road to success
    • they were having a rough time
  7. adjective satellite violently agitated and turbulent
    fierce; boisterous.
    • boisterous winds and waves
    • the fierce thunders roar me their music"- Ezra Pound
    • rough weather
    • rough seas
  8. adjective satellite unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
    gravelly; raspy; grating; rasping; scratchy.
    • a gravelly voice
  9. adjective satellite ready and able to resort to force or violence
    pugnacious.
    • pugnacious spirits...lamented that there was so little prospect of an exhilarating disturbance"- Herman Melville
    • they were rough and determined fighting men
  10. adjective of the margin of a leaf shape; having the edge cut or fringed or scalloped
  11. adjective causing or characterized by jolts and irregular movements
    jumpy; rocky; jolty; jolting; bumpy.
    • a rough ride
  12. adjective not shaped by cutting or trimming
    uncut.
    • an uncut diamond
    • rough gemstones
  13. adjective satellite not carefully or expertly made
    crude.
    • managed to make a crude splint
    • a crude cabin of logs with bark still on them
    • rough carpentry
  14. adjective satellite not perfected
    • a rough draft
    • a few rough sketches
  15. adjective satellite unpleasantly stern
    harsh.
    • wild and harsh country full of hot sand and cactus
    • the nomad life is rough and hazardous
  16. adjective satellite unkind or cruel or uncivil
    harsh.
    • had harsh words
    • a harsh and unlovable old tyrant
    • a rough answer
  17. adverb with roughness or violence (`rough' is an informal variant for `roughly')
    roughly.
    • he was pushed roughly aside
    • they treated him rough
  18. adverb with rough motion as over a rough surface
    roughly.
    • ride rough

WordNet

Rough adjective
Etymology
OE. rou, rou, row, rugh, ruh, AS. rh; akin to LG. rug, D. rug, D. ruig, ruw, OHG. rh, G. rauh, rauch; cf. Lith. raukas wrinkle, rukti to wrinkle. &root; 18. Cf. Rug, n.
Wordforms
comparative Rougher ; superlative Roughest
Definitions
  1. Having inequalities, small ridges, or points, on the surface; not smooth or plain; as, a rough board; a rough stone; rough cloth. Specifically: (a) Not level; having a broken surface; uneven; -- said of a piece of land, or of a road. "Rough, uneven ways." Shak. (b) Not polished; uncut; -- said of a gem; as, a rough diamond. (c) Tossed in waves; boisterous; high; -- said of a sea or other piece of water.
    More unequal than the roughest sea. T. Burnet.
    (d) Marked by coarseness; shaggy; ragged; disordered; -- said of dress, appearance, or the like; as, a rough coat. "A visage rough." Dryden. "Roughsatyrs." Milton.
  2. Hence, figuratively, lacking refinement, gentleness, or polish. Specifically: (a) Not courteous or kind; harsh; rude; uncivil; as, a rough temper.
    A fiend, a fury, pitiless and rough. Shak.
    A surly boatman, rough as wayes or winds. Prior.
    (b) Marked by severity or violence; harsh; hard; as, rough measures or actions.
    On the rough edge of battle. Milton.
    A quicker and rougher remedy. Clarendon.
    Kind words prevent a good deal of that perverseness which rough and imperious usage often produces. Locke.
    (c) Loud and hoarse; offensive to the ear; harsh; grating; -- said of sound, voice, and the like; as, a rough tone; rough numbers. Pope. (d) Austere; harsh to the taste; as, rough wine. (e) Tempestuous; boisterous; stormy; as, rough weather; a rough day.
    He stayeth his rough wind. Isa. xxvii. 8.
    Time and the hour runs through the roughest day. Shak.
    (f) Hastily or carelessly done; wanting finish; incomplete; as, a rough estimate; a rough draught. Lowell. (b) Produced offhand. "Some rough and ready theory." Tylor.
Rough noun
Definitions
  1. Boisterous weather. Obs. Fletcher.
  2. A rude fellow; a coarse bully; a rowdy.
    Contemplating the people in the rough. Mrs. Browning.
Rough adverb
Definitions
  1. In a rough manner; rudely; roughly.
    Sleeping rough on the trenches, and dying stubbornly in their boats. Sir W. Scott.
Rough transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To render rough; to roughen.
  2. To break in, as a horse, especially for military purposes. Crabb.
  3. To cut or make in a hasty, rough manner; -- with out; as, to rough out a carving, a sketch.

Webster 1913