as in unpolished
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Recent Examples of rough-edged
Andor is charming and rough-edged, a solo space cowboy accustomed to hustling his own way.
—
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
Here we are faced with an aesthetic that is indeed poetic, but also austere; contemplative, yet analytical, critical—at times even rough-edged.
—Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 14 May 2025
One of the things Sean Baker does exceptionally well is draw us into a vivid and highly specific milieu, nurturing our affections for characters who are rough-edged, to put it mildly, and then whip up a vortex of steadily escalating chaos.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024
Foster’s version of Sarah was more defiant and rough-edged than the producers and the director, Jonathan Kaplan, wanted.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2024
Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 21 May 2025
Here we are faced with an aesthetic that is indeed poetic, but also austere; contemplative, yet analytical, critical—at times even rough-edged.
—Alessia Glaviano, Vogue, 14 May 2025
One of the things Sean Baker does exceptionally well is draw us into a vivid and highly specific milieu, nurturing our affections for characters who are rough-edged, to put it mildly, and then whip up a vortex of steadily escalating chaos.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2024
Foster’s version of Sarah was more defiant and rough-edged than the producers and the director, Jonathan Kaplan, wanted.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rough-edged
Adjective
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The platform has always been deliberately unpolished — not filtered through adult editors.—
Ashoka,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
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The prerogative of those in blue and white is that of joyful abandon; the unpolished celebrations of players, staff and fans unfamiliar with these moments.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Adjective
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And any expression otherwise is so taboo or deemed uncouth, and we aren’t allowed to talk about it in our art and media.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
14 May 2026
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Those songs both ended with squalls of noise, hinting at Bash’s interest in more uncouth arrangements.—
Stephen Kearse,
Pitchfork,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Taped on a four-track recorder in his New York City apartment, these nine songs—a mixtape, the accompanying press release is careful to note; not a new album, which might suggest a degree of studio sheen—are necessarily unrefined.—
Arielle Gordon,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2026
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The book on Stowers is an elite athlete with high-level receiving production but an unrefined blocker who is limited in that area.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The brand has come to signify rugged, often uncultured New York grit, its actual working-class relevance and celebration in seminal rap lyrics feeding internet snarkers’ stereotypes of city dwellers.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
21 Jan. 2026
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Just the opposite: The slipup shows how culture pervades even my uncultured moments.—
Harmon Siegel,
Artforum,
1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The elder show’s rough-hewn edges and imperfections were central to its appeal.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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The refined contemporary interiors are punctuated throughout with terrazzo floors, warm wood paneling, and rough-hewn stone pillars.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
4 May 2026
Adjective
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From blazing stars and diminutive buttercups to uncultivated roses and sunflowers, the Midwest is blessed with many gorgeous native wildflowers.—
Erika Ebsworth-Goold,
Midwest Living,
20 Apr. 2026
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Down these uncultivated paths, Horace’s Lydia, Tibullus’s Delia, and Ovid’s Corinna had passed, but only Virgil’s Philomela remained.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Her husband says that's a very vulgar pet.—
Danielle Parker,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
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Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s biographer Andrew Lownie shared a vulgar pickup line that the former prince allegedly used while trying to pick up women.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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The target of his satire is not just the wealthy, castle-dwelling Jo Stoyte, clearly modeled on Hearst, but American society writ large, with its trashy consumerism and childish veneration of riches.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
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The component parts include herself, a fashionable, high-ish brow, and maybe trashy auteur (Abel Ferrara, Olivier Assayas, Catherine Breillat, her own dad), a strong genre element, and dabs of very deliberate provocation.—
David Katz,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rough-edged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rough-edged. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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