rough
HighNeutral (Common in both formal and informal contexts)
Definition
Meaning
Having an uneven or irregular surface; not smooth or refined.
Incomplete, approximate, or not detailed; involving hardship, violence, or difficult conditions; behaving in a forceful, uncouth, or unsophisticated manner.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word carries a spectrum of negative connotations (e.g., violence, difficulty) but can be neutral when describing physical texture or preliminary approximations (e.g., rough draft, rough estimate).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use 'rough' similarly for texture and approximation. In sports, BrE uses 'rough' for the uncut grass on a golf course; AmE uses this too but may refer to it as 'the rough'. In slang, BrE uses 'rough' more commonly to mean 'feeling unwell' (e.g., 'I feel rough') or to describe an unpleasant area ('a rough part of town').
Connotations
Connotations are largely shared. The sense of 'difficult' or 'unpleasant' is strong in both, but the specific slang usage for feeling ill is more prevalent in BrE.
Frequency
Equally high-frequency in both varieties, with similar core usage patterns.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[ADJ] + with + [PERSON] (He was a bit rough with the children.)[ADJ] + on + [OBJECT/SURFACE] (The asphalt is rough on tyres.)[VERB] + it + [ADVERBIAL] (They had to rough it in a tent.)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A diamond in the rough”
- “Rough around the edges”
- “Take the rough with the smooth”
- “Rough it”
- “Sleep rough”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used for preliminary planning: 'Let's get a rough idea of the costs before the meeting.'
Academic
Describes initial stages of work: 'The first draft was very rough and needed substantial editing.'
Everyday
Very common for describing texture, difficulty, or approximation: 'The road is rough after the winter.' 'Can you give me a rough guess?'
Technical
In engineering/materials: 'The rough surface improves adhesion.' In statistics: 'A rough approximation of the mean.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The team will have to rough it during the expedition, with no proper lodgings.
- He roughed out a quick design on the back of an envelope.
American English
- We roughed it in the mountains for a week.
- The architect roughed in the basic floor plan first.
adverb
British English
- They play a bit too rough for my liking.
- He was told to cut the timber rough for now.
American English
- The team was accused of playing rough.
- We lived rough in the woods for a summer.
adjective
British English
- The rough track was difficult to cycle on.
- She's had a rough few months since losing her job.
- Give me a rough figure by tomorrow.
American English
- The rough road damaged our suspension.
- Don't be so rough with the equipment!
- My rough guess is around 200 people attended.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The cat's tongue feels rough.
- This paper is not smooth, it's rough.
- We had a rough journey because of the bad weather.
- Can you give me a rough idea of how much it will cost?
- The negotiations hit a rough patch but eventually succeeded.
- He's a bit rough around the edges, but he means well.
- The report is still in a rough state and requires considerable polishing.
- She weathered the rough and tumble of political life with remarkable resilience.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine running your hand over a piece of sandpaper. It's RUFF (like a dog's bark) to the touch. Both the sound 'ruff' and the feeling are harsh and not smooth.
Conceptual Metaphor
DIFFICULTY IS ROUGH TERRAIN (e.g., 'We're going through a rough patch.'), UNREFINED IS ROUGH (e.g., 'His manners are still rough.'), APPROXIMATION IS A ROUGH SHAPE (e.g., 'a rough outline').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не переводите 'rough estimate' как 'грубая оценка' (negative connotation). Лучше: 'приблизительная/предварительная оценка'.
- 'Rough surface' — это 'шероховатая/неровная поверхность', а не 'грубая поверхность'.
- В значении 'плохо себя чувствовать' (BrE) не имеет прямого эквивалента. 'I feel rough' ≈ 'Мне нехорошо/я разбитый'.
- 'Rough diamond' (неогранённый алмаз) — идиома для 'человек с грубоватыми манерами, но хорошим сердцем'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'roughly' as an adjective (*'a roughly surface'). 'Roughly' is an adverb.
- Confusing 'rough' with 'tough'. 'Rough' is about texture/difficulty of circumstances; 'tough' is about strength/resilience/difficulty of tasks.
- Incorrect preposition: *'rough at' instead of 'rough on' (The journey was rough on the car.)
Practice
Quiz
In British English slang, if someone says 'I feel really rough this morning', what do they most likely mean?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, not always. While it often describes difficulties or unpleasantness (rough time, rough treatment), it can be neutral when describing physical texture (rough bark) or standard procedures (rough draft, rough estimate). The idiom 'a diamond in the rough' is positive.
Both can describe texture. 'Rough' primarily focuses on an uneven, irregular surface (opposite of smooth). 'Coarse' describes something made of large, loose particles or threads, and emphasizes a lack of fineness (coarse sand, coarse cloth). Something can be both coarse and rough, but a finely powdered substance can be coarse (large grains) yet feel smooth.
Yes, but less commonly. The phrasal verb 'rough it' means to live without usual comforts. 'Rough out' means to produce a preliminary version (rough out a plan). 'Rough up' (informal) means to attack someone physically.
The 'gh' in 'rough' is pronounced /f/. This is an exception. Compare with 'through' (silent 'gh'), 'cough' (/f/), 'though' (silent), and 'plough' (silent). There is no reliable rule; these must be memorised.