Definition

1. Noun:
   • The quality of lacking taste and refinement: The state or characteristic of being crude, vulgar, or unrefined in manner, appearance, or behavior.
   • Looseness or roughness in texture (as of cloth): The physical property of a material having a rough, uneven, or not fine surface.
   • The quality of being composed of relatively large particles: The state of having a granular or gritty composition, as in sand or ground material.
   • Language or humor that is down-to-earth: The use of plain, often earthy, and unsophisticated language or jokes.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The coarseness of his jokes made some guests uncomfortable. (This illustrates the quality of lacking refinement in humor.)
  • She disliked the coarseness of the burlap fabric against her skin. (This demonstrates roughness in texture.)
  • The coarseness of the sandpaper is determined by the size of its abrasive particles. (This shows the quality of being composed of large particles.)
  • The novel was praised for its realism but criticized for the coarseness of its dialogue. (This exemplifies down-to-earth, unsophisticated language.)

Advanced Usage

• "coarseness of grain": Refers specifically to the size of particles in a substance like wood, metal, or soil.
  • The coarseness of the soil made it difficult for delicate plants to root.
• "coarseness of character": Describes a person's fundamentally unrefined or crude nature.
  • Despite his wealth, a certain coarseness of character prevented his acceptance into high society.

Variants and Related Words

• Coarse (adj): Having a rough texture; lacking refinement; composed of large particles.
  • Coarse salt is often used for seasoning while cooking.
• Coarsen (verb): To make or become coarse.
  • Years of manual labor had coarsened his hands.

Synonyms

• Crudeness: Lacking grace, education, or sensitivity.
• Roughness: Having an uneven or irregular surface; not gentle or refined.
• Vulgarity: The state of being lacking in sophistication or good taste; unrefined.
• Grittiness: The quality of containing or resembling grit; courage and resolve, but in a physical sense, it relates to coarseness of texture.

Antonyms

• Refinement: The quality of being elegant, cultured, or polished.
• Smoothness: The quality of having an even and regular surface; free from roughness.
• Fineness: The quality of being very thin, small in texture, or delicate.

Related Phrases

• A touch of coarseness: A slight element of vulgarity or lack of refinement.
  • The painting was beautiful, but it had a touch of coarseness in its subject matter.
• To betray a coarseness: To reveal an underlying lack of refinement.
  • His elegant speech could not entirely betray the coarseness of his upbringing.

Noun

1. the quality of lacking taste and refinement
2. looseness or roughness in texture (as of cloth)
3. the quality of being composed of relatively large particles
4. language or humor that is down-to-earth
   • the saltiness of their language was inappropriate
   • self-parody and saltiness riddled their core genre