INDEX:
1. not smooth
2. to make a surface rough
RELATED WORDS
rough behaviour : ↑ VIOLENT
a rough guess or calculation : ↑ ABOUT/APPROXIMATELY
a rough voice : ↑ VOICE
see also
↑ FLAT/NOT FLAT
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1. not smooth
▷ rough /rʌf/ [adjective]
a rough surface is not smooth because it has lumps or holes in it :
▪ The car bumped up and down as we drove across the rough ground.
▪ He fell, cutting his forehead on the rough edge of a rock.
▪ Hessian cloth provides a rough homespun texture that was popular in the 1950s.
roughness [uncountable noun]
▪ friction caused by the roughness of the road surface
▷ coarse /kɔːʳs/ [adjective]
something such as material or hair that is coarse feels rough and hard, especially because it is made of thick thread, hairs etc :
▪ All the hospital beds were covered with coarse cotton sheets.
▪ Her straight hair, once dark brown, was becoming grey and coarse.
▪ The fisherman’s skin was dark and coarse, his hands big and strong.
▷ abrasive /əˈbreɪsɪv/ [adjective]
an abrasive object or material has a hard rough surface that can damage other surfaces when it rubs against them :
▪ Rub the table down with a fine abrasive paper before painting it.
▪ If your body skin looks dull, removing dead skin with an abrasive glove can make a big difference.
▷ scaly /ˈskeɪli/ [adjective]
scaly skin is dry and rough :
▪ To relieve tight or scaly skin, add a teaspoon of fine oil to your bathwater.
▪ Dandruff is characterized by a scaly and sometimes itchy scalp.
▷ calloused /ˈkæləst/ [adjective]
hands that are calloused are covered with thick hard areas of skin, especially because of hard physical work :
▪ His was a big, strong hand, roughly calloused from fieldwork.
▪ He ran a calloused finger around the rim of his glass.
2. to make a surface rough
▷ roughen /ˈrʌf ə n/ [transitive verb usually in passive]
▪ Her hands had been roughened by years of labouring.
▪ the roughened old stump of a tree