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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 Eight major refineries account for about 96% of crude oil capacity in the state — and that includes the Valero refinery in Benicia and the Phillips 66 facilities in Carson and Wilmington. Rob Nikolewski, Mercury News, 27 May 2025 Currently, the beaches of Torrey Pines are crowded with photographers hoping for that perfect picture of peregrine falcon chicks being raised in crude scrape nests placed on precarious perches, high on the sandstone cliffs. Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2025 Such a fund holds derivatives tied to the prices of a basket of physical assets—crude oil, natural gas, precious metals, base metals, grains, livestock. William Baldwin, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025 Subscribe The core inflation is expected to ease in the coming months due to lower crude oil prices and the yen’s appreciation, said Masato Koike, economist at Sompo Institute Plus. Anniek Bao, CNBC, 22 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for crude
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crude
Adjective
  • Practice food safety, especially when preparing raw meat, poultry, and seafood.13 Avoid eating around animals or kissing pets.
    Janelle McSwiggin, Health, 6 June 2025
  • The company imports raw ingredients, packaging materials and some finished products into the U.S. from China.
    Aishwarya Venugopal, USA Today, 6 June 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
  • One of them, a graduate student named Hailey, who had the kind of vulgar beauty of fecundity, duly fell pregnant.
    Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025
  • Dem rep's vulgar demand to ICE officers leads to calls to expel her from Congress MAJOR HEADLINES 'NEVER SEEN HER' – AOC, progressives ripped for ignoring 'Red Light district' as prostitution, filthy streets return.
    , FOXNews.com, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • But beyond the crass remarks about Read, experts say less explosive messages about Proctor's early opinions of the investigation could be damning.
    Julia Bonavita , Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2025
  • What keeps these series from coming off as crass is the genuine camaraderie that connects their characters and shelters them, to some extent, from the precariousness of their lives.
    Judy Berman, Time, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • The clumsy use of voice-overs is more embarrassing still.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
  • In the latest, a clumsy but charming young woman in Paris, struggling to become a writer and longing for Jane Austen-style romance, finally has her moment at a Jane Austen Writers’ Residency in England.
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 25 May 2025
Adjective
  • Researchers suggest that often, their natural need for connection with their parents renders the golden child powerless to choose their well-being over the relationship.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
  • Hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge every winter hoping to catch a glimpse of Florida manatees reveling in the warm, natural spring waters dedicated to their protection.
    Ragan Whitlock, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2025
Adjective
  • Although contemporary smart assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant can manage rudimentary household commands—like turning on lights or checking the weather—agentic AI signifies a profound shift.
    Sandeep Shivam, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
  • These pioneers used rudimentary plows, but when steel plows became available farmers were able to plant and harvest much more food per acre to feed a growing population.
    Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 31 May 2025
Adjective
  • The obscene cost of healthcare has pushed manufacturers offshore and kept wages stagnant for decades.
    Ro Khanna, Twin Cities, 12 June 2025
  • In Tacoma, 35 miles to the south, Ted Bundy grew up near the American Smelting and Refining Co., which disgorged obscene levels of lead and arsenic into the air while netting millions for the Guggenheim dynasty before its 1986 closure.
    Hamilton Cain, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Crude.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crude. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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