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Synonym Chooser

How is the word coarse different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of coarse are gross, obscene, ribald, and vulgar. While all these words mean "offensive to good taste or morals," coarse implies roughness, rudeness, or crudeness of spirit, behavior, or language.

found the coarse humor of coworkers offensive

When can gross be used instead of coarse?

The words gross and coarse can be used in similar contexts, but gross implies extreme coarseness and insensitiveness.

gross eating habits

When could obscene be used to replace coarse?

While the synonyms obscene and coarse are close in meaning, obscene applies to anything strongly repulsive to the sense of decency and propriety especially in sexual matters.

obscene language not allowed on the air

Where would ribald be a reasonable alternative to coarse?

The meanings of ribald and coarse largely overlap; however, ribald applies to what is amusingly or picturesquely vulgar or irreverent or mildly indecent.

entertained the campers with ribald folk songs

When might vulgar be a better fit than coarse?

The words vulgar and coarse are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, vulgar often implies boorishness or ill-breeding.

a loud vulgar belch

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of coarse TikTok clued us into the power of shaving your body—mainly your she-shrubbery—using what is technically a beard trimmer, because it's designed explicitly to motor through coarse hair. Annie Blackman, Allure, 27 Mar. 2025 Hair loss is self-explanatory and dryness is caused by damage to the outer layer of the cuticle and results in moisture loss and coarse, dull hair. Kiana Murden, Vogue, 25 Mar. 2025 The semi-aquatic mammals, best known for their coarse hair and characteristic flat tale, were almost wiped out due to overharvesting by an unregulated fur trade in the 19th century. Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025 Should the number of cents per pound be the same for coarse carpet wool as for fine wool for luxury apparel? Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 23 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for coarse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coarse
Adjective
  • The comments in screen shots of the chat room were demeaning and vulgar – as were the texts from the anonymous messenger who had sent her the images.
    Yoonjung Seo and Mike Valerio, CNN Money, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Where once was the vulgar, now lies the Vulgate, a common relatable almost religious experience that all at Barclays seemed to feel.
    Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • This social justice kitsch becomes a mildly obscene evocation of racial terrorism.
    Armond White, National Review, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Fifteen years after her husband’s drowning in the nearby bay, Tressilian’s days are spent in a cranky routine: grumbling over the obscene resort stationed on the opposite bluff, reading London’s gossip columns, and summoning the household help with the insistent ringing of a bedroom call bell.
    Erik Morse, Vogue, 15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • As the speech came to an end, Booker’s voice was hoarse, but his resolve was unshaken.
    Melissa Noel, Essence, 2 Apr. 2025
  • By now, many economists are hoarse screaming that higher tariffs and a trade war will raise prices and hurt the U.S. economy.
    Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Boulders offer a jagged look For a rugged look, consider a retaining wall made from large boulders.
    Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 18 Apr. 2025
  • All those letters are real, and all those jagged lines were the work of scissors.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • But nothing has come to fruition yet because Robert's poor play has tanked his trade value.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Then someone pointed a finger at a surprising culprit: the soldiers’ poor health.
    Maxim Sytch, Harvard Business Review, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Sifting through the sandy dirt on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, archaeologists expected to find something.
    Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2025
  • As an urban beach, one side is flanked by high-rises and it can be crowded, but its wide, sandy stretch is easily reachable via a gradual flight of stairs.
    Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Those other countries don’t seem to have the same proportion of crass blowhards in their political structure as the U.S.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Slipshod, crass, and sick, these jokes, dialling in from abroad and at home, were distinct from the humor that had followed other U.S. catastrophes.
    Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Bowling paints with the rhythm of a gruff intellectual.
    James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2025
  • The actor behind the gruff but lovable Roy Kent shared a purrfectly eccentric analogy about the show's return on a recent episode of NPR's Wild Card podcast.
    Jessica Wang, EW.com, 21 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Coarse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coarse. Accessed 1 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on coarse

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