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rough

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adjective British English pronunciation: rough /rʌf/ 
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adjectiverough
comparativerougher
superlativeroughest
 
  1. 1
    with a surface that is not smooth

    The walls were built of dark rough stone.

    Hessian provides warm colour and a rough homespun texture.

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    1. a.
      used about the surface of a lake, river, or sea that has a lot of waves, often because the weather is bad

      Rough seas prevented rescuers from approaching the ship.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  roughThesaurus entry for this meaning of rough
    2. b.
      used about land and roads that are difficult to travel on

      They covered the 30 miles of rough terrain in record time.

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  2. 2
    informal difficult and with a lot of problems

    I had a rough day at the office.

    a rough time:

    You’ve been through rough times, you know what it is like.

    a rough patch (=a difficult period):

    They were going through a rough patch in their relationship.

    a rough night (=a night when you cannot sleep):

    I feel terrible – I had a rough night last night.

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  3. 3
    not gentle

    Don’t be so rough with her, James. She’s only a baby.

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  4. 4
    a rough place is not pleasant because there is a lot of crime or violence there

    Madeline grew up in a rough neighbourhood.

    That’s a pretty rough bar.

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  5. 5
    a rough drawing or piece of writing is not completely finished

    This is a rough drawing of the house I want to build.

    rough draft:

    Here is a rough draft for you to read.

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    1. a.
      used about an object that is not made very well, or is not completely finished

      The customers sat at rough wooden tables.

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    2. b.
      a rough idea or guess is not detailed or exact

      I don’t know the precise cost, but I can give you a rough idea.

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phrases

derived word

roughness

noun [uncountable]
See also

This is the British English definition of rough. View American English definition of rough.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

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