rough

adjective
UK: /rʌf/
US: /rʌf/

  1. Not smooth or even; having an uneven surface.

    1. The road was very rough after the storm. [ ] [ ]
    2. The old man's hands were rough from years of hard work in the fields. [ ] [ ]

  2. Not gentle; violent or forceful.

    1. The children were playing rough and hurt each other. [ ] [ ]
    2. The sailors had to face a rough sea during their voyage last winter. [ ] [ ]

  3. Approximate; not exact or detailed.

    1. I made a rough estimate of the cost of repairs. [ ] [ ]
    2. Here's a rough draft of the proposal but it needs further revision and refinement. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

uneven course harsh violent approximate crude
rough verb

  1. To treat someone or something roughly.

    1. Don't rough up the new furniture. [ ] [ ]
    2. The police roughed up the suspect during the interrogation last night. [ ] [ ]

  2. To create a preliminary version of something.

    1. I need to rough out the design for the new website. [ ] [ ]
    2. The architect roughed in a few sketches of the building's facade quickly. [ ] [ ]
rough adverb

  1. In a rough manner.

    1. The journey was rough but worth it. [ ] [ ]
    2. He spoke rough, but his heart was kind and compassionate to others. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "rough" in English means: Not smooth or even; having an uneven surface., Not gentle; violent or forceful., Approximate; not exact or detailed..

The phonetic transcription of "rough" is /rʌf/ in British English and /rʌf/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "rough": uneven, course, harsh, violent, approximate, crude.

Example usage of "rough": "The road was very rough after the storm.". More examples on the page.