1
as in raw
being such as found in nature and not altered by processing or refining
a sizable spill of crude oil along a coastline is the worst kind of environmental disaster
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in primitive
belonging to or characteristic of an early level of skill or development
the crude stone tools that those prehistoric peoples used
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vulgar
depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society
crude jokes can be considered sexual harassment
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in crass
lacking in refinement or good taste
any discussion of one's money is considered crude by the club's blue-blooded members
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed
a crude hut that was constructed by some shipwrecked sailors
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crude
Proctor sent crude text messages about Read during the investigation and was fired before the second trial began.
—
Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 16 June 2025
Brent crude future prices, another top measure of oil prices, also fell about 1.8%.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 June 2025
The government’s finances are highly sensitive to fluctuations in crude prices, with oil and gas earnings making up around 30% of federal revenues in 2024, according Heli Simola, senior economist at the Bank of Finland.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 6 June 2025
Oil producers’ group OPEC+ decided to up its production levels despite weak crude prices, in what is being seen as a bid to hold on to its market share in a tough economic environment.
—Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for crude
Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 16 June 2025
Brent crude future prices, another top measure of oil prices, also fell about 1.8%.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 16 June 2025
The government’s finances are highly sensitive to fluctuations in crude prices, with oil and gas earnings making up around 30% of federal revenues in 2024, according Heli Simola, senior economist at the Bank of Finland.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 6 June 2025
Oil producers’ group OPEC+ decided to up its production levels despite weak crude prices, in what is being seen as a bid to hold on to its market share in a tough economic environment.
—Gaurav Sharma, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for crude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crude
Adjective
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The music, intimate and bombastic, grounded and soaring, was goosebump-inducing and transcendent, giving emotional resonance to the awe of becoming friends with a dragon or the raw thrill of riding one.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
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The moment is striking—not for its humor, but for its raw display of attachment and confusion.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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Houde said these mammoth animals are a primitive group of proboscideans ('elephantoids') from which modern elephants evolved.—
Joseph J. Kolb,
Fox News,
18 July 2017
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Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.—
OregonLive.com,
OregonLive.com,
12 July 2017
Adjective
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Using vulgar, profane or indecent language in a loud or boisterous manner in the presence of children.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
16 June 2025
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Between 12% and 13.3% of Americans, around 10% of Brits, and 9.4% of Australians used at least one vulgar word in their data.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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But beyond the crass remarks about Read, experts say less explosive messages about Proctor's early opinions of the investigation could be damning.—
Julia Bonavita , Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2025
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What keeps these series from coming off as crass is the genuine camaraderie that connects their characters and shelters them, to some extent, from the precariousness of their lives.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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Herbert includes a range of moments, from earnest attempts to talk about the enslaved people that maintained all these palatial homes to clumsier ones in which they are referred to as workers, insinuating that their labor was paid for instead of forced.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
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The aftermath of Virginia’s clumsy tumble into a rose bed where her exposed cleavage is profusely pricked by thorns lasts for all of one scene.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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But their back-and-forth reveals a natural chemistry between the two writers.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
27 June 2025
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Plums make their presence known along roadsides and in natural areas in spring when fragrant white blooms cover their bare branches.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Perry’s boxing skills were far too rudimentary for Paul and he was stopped in the sixth round.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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Though being able to identify and pursue targets can make even a rudimentary swarm more dangerous, the ability to soak up the defender’s data, share that information with other drones and adjust based on what’s happening on the battlefield is far more lethal.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
16 June 2025
Adjective
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The ex-data processor for the Boston Transportation Department was previously convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of: rape of a child, assault to rape a child, indecent assault and battery on a child, disseminating obscene material to a minor, and possession of child pornography.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
24 June 2025
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But the legal standard for what qualifies as obscene is extremely high.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crude. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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