1
as in shaggy
covered with or as if with hair
a face rough with a couple days' worth of beard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
rough waters that made sailing our sloop a little risky
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in turbulent
marked by wet and windy conditions
at least wear a raincoat if you're going out into that rough weather
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in uneven
not having a level or smooth surface
a rough board can give you splinters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in difficult
requiring considerable physical or mental effort
a forensics expert who willingly takes on rough assignments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in tough
difficult to endure
I've had a rough time of it since I lost my job
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
the rough faces of hardened criminals who had spent most of their lives behind bars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed
made a rough camp as darkness fell over the forest
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
9
as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste
he learned polite words to replace the rough language he had known growing up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
11
12
as in wild
marked by turmoil or disturbance especially of natural elements
after a rough week on the high seas, we were happy to sail through the gulf's more tranquil waters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in rowdy
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to chop
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rough
Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
After a rough rookie season, the speedy and diminutive Atwell became a solid contributor in a receiver corps that eventually included Kupp, Puka Nacua and Demarcus Robinson.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2025
Jill Newman, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2023
Players will also encounter four-inch rough, which has been left to grow thickly undisturbed.
—Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2023
Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
Late hits and roughing the passer rank among plays that could soon be included on the list of reviewable plays.
—Mike Jones, The Athletic, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough
Adjective
The last 21 games of this season will be rough without Nelson in the middle of things, playing the second-most minutes of any forward on the team and in all situations.
—Arthur Staple, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
After a rough rookie season, the speedy and diminutive Atwell became a solid contributor in a receiver corps that eventually included Kupp, Puka Nacua and Demarcus Robinson.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
That stone dates to 1878, when Charles Lewis Tiffany acquired the 287-carat rough that was unearthed in South Africa’s Kimberly mine, for a mere $18,000.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 18 Oct. 2023
Players will also encounter four-inch rough, which has been left to grow thickly undisturbed.
—Jim Owczarski, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2023
Verb
The Golf Channel at one point stitched together clips of several players roughing it.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025
Late hits and roughing the passer rank among plays that could soon be included on the list of reviewable plays.
—Mike Jones, The Athletic, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough
Adjective
-
The lab mice, which have been modified to have shaggy fur and golden coats, are a demonstration of the kind of gene edits that the company hopes to perform on a much larger scale, modifying Asian elephants to more closely resemble their woolly mammoth ancestors.—
Matt Reynolds,
WIRED,
4 Mar. 2025
-
It was filled with spare, ’60s shapes and saturated colors and included a trenchcoat done in aubergine, bordeaux and beige, shaggy bouclé coats and soft hobo bags.—
WWD,
WWD,
3 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
While confronting their violent history, a brutal bar fight and deadly feud reignites between Thomas, Ben, and the notorious Five Points Gang.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
5 Mar. 2025
-
That career has been highlighted by some of the most violent fights in MMA history.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The turbulent decade that saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy’s and Martin Luther King’s assassination, and the Vietnam War meant that home viewers were more open to escapism and entertainment that would whisk them away from the world's horrors.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Outside of turbulent foreign relations, the election comes at a critical time in Hollywood as the entertainment industry faces unprecedented uncertainty due to AI and plummeting profits.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The main story is very strangely uneven, the routes and caves are often straight pathways with little in them, and none of it is really difficult at all.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
-
The evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic – from devastation, to optimism for eradication, to persistent, uneven spread of disease – may seem unprecedented.—
Powel H. Kazanjian,
The Conversation,
5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
But their happy romance is soon demolished when Jenny reappears in their lives, thrusting all three into a difficult and messy journey towards true accountability and adulthood.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
7 Mar. 2025
-
These protein complexes are highly shape-shifting, making traditional imaging methods very difficult.—
Priyanka Naik,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Schneider wants to take calculated risks in free agency, but that can be tough to do when Seattle is one of many teams needing interior offensive upgrades.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
The Athletic,
11 Mar. 2025
-
The New York Fed survey of consumer expectations showed respondents believe tougher economic conditions are ahead.—
Courtenay Brown,
Axios,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The gruff but beloved Hackman was among the most accomplished actors of his generation, appearing as villains, heroes and antiheroes in dozens of dramas, comedies and action films from the 1960s until his retirement in the early 2000s.—
Susan Montoya Bryan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Ford’s actually relatively locked-in as the gruff but supportive Colonel Graff training the impressionable Ender (Asa Butterfield), who has to save the universe as all lads in these types of films tend to do.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The character first appears in the franchise’s original film Scream (1996) as the older brother of Tatum Riley (Rose McGowan) and the clumsy police deputy trying to help solve the murders in their town of Woodsboro.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Aviles’ dismissal, for a clumsy challenge on the edge of the penalty area, seemed set to turn the game.—
Martin Rogers,
The Athletic,
22 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to rough
Cite this Entry
“Rough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share