- 1having 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
- 2not 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
- 3not 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!
- 4where there is a lot of violence or crime the roughest neighborhood in the city sea
- 5having 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
- 7difficult 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).
- 8simply made and not finished in every detail; plain or basic rough wooden tables a rough track not smooth
- 9not smooth or pleasant to taste, listen to, etc. a rough wine/voice
not smooth
noun [uncountable] see roughlyIdioms
to experience/not experience difficulties when you are doing something; to make things difficult/easy for someone He's going to have a rough ride at the board meeting next week.
having parts or qualities that are not yet as good as they should be She's a little rough around the edges, but she's a great neighbor.
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.See rough in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
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