Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Shaped without finishing: Describes stone or timber that has been given a basic shape but lacks a smooth, polished, or final surface.
   • Lacking refinement: Characterized by a lack of sophistication, elegance, or good taste; coarse, uncultured, or vulgar.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:
  • The builders used rough-cut timber for the barn's frame. (The wood was shaped but not planed smooth.)
  • His humor was considered rough-cut and offensive by the polite society. (His humor was unrefined and vulgar.)
  • The documentary had a rough-cut, gritty realism that appealed to some viewers. (The style was unpolished and direct.)

Advanced Usage

• Film/Video Editing: In media production, a "rough cut" is an early, unpolished version of a film or video edit, assembled to show the basic sequence and timing.
  • The director reviewed the rough cut of the scene before fine-tuning the edits.
• As a Noun: The term can function as a noun to refer to the unpolished object or version itself.
  • The table was made from a beautiful rough-cut of oak.
  • We need to approve the rough-cut before adding special effects.

Variants and Related Words

• Rough (adj): Having an uneven or irregular surface; not smooth or refined.
  • The rough surface of the stone.
• Roughly (adv): In a rough manner.
  • The timber was roughly cut.
• Uncut (adj): Not cut, or not edited. (Note: "Uncut" implies no alterations, while "rough-cut" implies a basic, unrefined form after some shaping or editing.)

Synonyms

• Unfinished: Not brought to the final desired state.
• Coarse: Lacking refinement or elegance.
• Unpolished: Not smoothed or refined.
• Crude: Simple and not skillfully done or made.
• Uncouth: Lacking good manners, refinement, or grace.

Antonyms

• Finished: Brought to a completed state.
• Polished: Refined, sophisticated, or made smooth and shiny.
• Refined: Elegant and cultured in appearance, manner, or taste.
• Cultivated: Characterized by refined taste and manners.

Related Phrases

• In the rough: In an unfinished, unpolished, or natural state.
  • She could see the diamond's potential even in the rough.
• Rough around the edges: Lacking polish or sophistication in some aspects.
  • His proposal was brilliant but still a bit rough around the edges.

Adjective

1. of stone or timber; shaped roughly without finishing
2. lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
   • he had coarse manners but a first-rate mind
   • behavior that branded him as common
   • an untutored and uncouth human being
   • an uncouth soldier--a real tough guy
   • appealing to the vulgar taste for violence
   • the vulgar display of the newly rich