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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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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective crude differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of crude are raw, rough, and rude. While all these words mean "lacking in social refinement," crude may apply to thought or behavior limited to the gross, the obvious, or the primitive.

a crude joke

When could raw be used to replace crude?

In some situations, the words raw and crude are roughly equivalent. However, raw suggests being untested, inexperienced, or unfinished.

turning raw youths into polished performers

When would rough be a good substitute for crude?

The words rough and crude can be used in similar contexts, but rough is likely to stress lack of polish and gentleness.

rough manners

When might rude be a better fit than crude?

The synonyms rude and crude are sometimes interchangeable, but rude implies ignorance of or indifference to good form; it may suggest intentional discourtesy.

rude behavior

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 crude With lower prices, more gasoline is sold, more crude oil refined and more asphalt produced, even if the price of asphalt stays the same. Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 20 July 2025 Nigeria, which relies on crude oil sales for around 90% of foreign exchange earnings, has been pumping below its quota for years due to oil theft and pipeline vandalism. semafor.com, 16 July 2025 That’s a 30% subsidy on the current WTI crude price of $67 - making U.S. oil irresistibly cheap at just $47 a barrel. Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025 The Montana Department of Labor & Industry reported that its top three imports from Canada in 2021 were crude oil, platinum waste and scrap, and conifer wood. Jenna Sundel shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for crude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crude
Adjective
  • The unstructured format is part of the magic—raw, real, and unfiltered.
    Okla Jones, Essence, 26 July 2025
  • What struck me immediately was the raw emotion behind the situation the Reyes family finds itself in.
    Austin Hornbostel, The Tennessean, 26 July 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Many are primitive and remote, and don’t have restrooms or water.
    OregonLive.com, OregonLive.com, 12 July 2017
Adjective
  • By The Athletic’s count, over nine innings during the Yankees’ 6-2 win over the Mets, those fans aimed the same vulgar chant at Soto a whopping 38 times.
    Will Sammon, New York Times, 17 May 2025
  • Because at the time, Madonna was seen as this controversial and sort of vulgar character.
    Terry Gross, NPR, 17 July 2025
Adjective
  • After a game in January where Luna played through a broken nose and registered an assist despite being elbowed in the face by a player from Costa Rica, Pochettino praised his young midfielder with a memorably crass description.
    Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 16 June 2025
  • Swearing and vulgarity aren’t just crass or abusive.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 15 June 2025
Adjective
  • Dream plays are difficult to execute—whimsy is easily crushed by clumsy handling.
    Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 25 July 2025
  • Despite a clumsy apology tour, Hogan was never able to completely shake his darkest moment.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
Adjective
  • Those winding roads are the Emira's natural environment.
    Peter Nelson, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2025
  • It’s also located near a natural spring, which both Millie and Tim eventually end up drinking from.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Few technologies, and certainly few so rudimentary in design and execution, have done more for the betterment of the world than shipping containers.
    Tony Morley, National Review, 25 July 2025
  • This is the most simple kind of AI agent that basically provides a rudimentary function.
    John Werner, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Adjective
  • The law requires pornographic websites to verify users’ ages – for example by making users scan and upload their driver’s license – before granting access to content that is deemed obscene for minors but not adults.
    Meg Leta Jones, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
  • Lawsuit alleges 'obscene' government overreach Longo's lawsuit, filed in Chemung County, New York, names the county, the city of Elmira and several DEC officers as defendants.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 12 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crude. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.

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