- 1 having a surface that is not even or regular rough ground The skin on her hands was hard and rough. Trim rough edges with a sharp knife. opposite smooth not exact
- 2 not exact; not including all details synonym approximate a rough calculation/estimate of the cost I've got a rough idea of where I want to go. There were about 20 people there, at a rough guess. a rough draft of a speech a rough sketch violent
- 3 not gentle or careful; violent This watch is not designed for rough treatment. They complained of rough handling by the guards. rough kids Don't try any rough stuff with me!
- 4 where there is a lot of violence or crime the roughest neighbourhood in the city Wordfinderlocationisolated, location, neighbourhood, outskirts, provincial, residential, rough, rural, suburban, urban See related entries: House location sea
- 5 having large and dangerous waves It was too rough to sail that night. We had a rough passage across to the island. weather
- 6wild and with storms difficult
- 7 difficult and unpleasant synonym tough He's had a really rough time recently (= he's had a lot of problems). We'll get someone in to do the rough work (= the hard physical work). not well
- 8(British English) not feeling well You look rough—are you OK? I had a rough night (= I didn't sleep well). plain/basic
- 9 simply made and not finished in every detail; plain or basic rough wooden tables a rough track (British English) rough paper for making notes on not smooth
- 10not smooth or pleasant to taste, listen to, etc. a rough wine/voice Word OriginOld English rūh, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch ruw and German rauh.Extra examples Her voice was rough with emotion. His voice sounded rough. I’m still feeling a bit rough. It has a slightly rough texture. It’s only a very rough guide. The weather was pretty rough. They’d suffered some fairly rough treatment. Things got a bit rough, and the police were called. We only had his rather rough version of events. You had to stand in the train all night?—That’s a bit rough. ‘I suppose you expect me to apologize for this,’ he said in a rough voice. Don’t try any rough stuff with me. He gave us a rough estimate of how much the work would cost. He’s had a really rough time recently. I made a rough sketch of the inside of the church. I’ve got a rough idea of where I want to go. Life was rough on the streets. She doesn’t like playing with the rough kids. She gave us a rough draft of the speech she’s giving later this month. The car is designed for travelling over rough ground. There were about 20 people there, at a rough guess. There’s no way he could have swum ashore in such rough weather. They set sail in rough conditions. Trim any rough edges with a sharp knife.Idioms
not smooth
(informal) to experience/not experience difficulties when you are doing something; to make things difficult/easy for somebody He will be given a rough ride at the party conference.
the fact of being treated unfairly
small parts of something or of a person’s character that are not yet as good as they should be The ballet still had some rough edges. He had a few rough edges knocked off at school.
(Australian English, informal) a situation in which somebody is treated badly or unfairly
Check pronunciation: rough
