roughneck 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of roughnecknext
as in vulgar
lacking in refinement or good taste their roughneck antics were amusing only if you were as drunk as they were

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

roughneck

2 of 2

noun

ˈrəf-ˌnek How to pronounce roughneck (audio)
as in thug
a violent, brutal person who is often a member of an organized gang a group of roughnecks like to hang out at the roadhouse and harass people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 roughneck
Adjective
The show seems organically suited for a more action comedy take, given Hooker’s old style and often roughneck crime fighting style, which seemed out of place in a more woke world. — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2025 Solomon’s estranged roughneck father (Chris Bauer) hawks macho health supplements and scams Solomon into becoming one of his salesmen. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 June 2025
Noun
Beyond his duties as a host and journalist, the native West Texan spent time working as an oil roughneck himself, and grew up in a family with members in the fields. — William Earl, Variety, 22 Dec. 2025 His job as the titular landman is to secure leases for oil extraction, to manage crews of roughnecks, and to deal with local government and police. — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 26 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for roughneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughneck
  1. vulgar
  2. thug
  3. crass
  4. gangster
  5. rude
  6. criminal
  7. coarse
  8. villain
Adjective
  • Lonnie is loud, obnoxious, and vulgar in ways that rankle traditional golfers.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 July 2026
  • Suki, a vocal Black woman with an at times vulgar persona, whereas Althoff, a white woman, gained a reputation as an awkward, seemingly timid interviewer on her The Really Good Podcast.
    — Meagan Jordan, VIBE.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of vulgar
Noun
  • Shortly after his big win, he’s attacked by two thugs in a parking garage.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 July 2026
  • The night of the title fight, Duke is attacked by two thugs who smash his hand with a hammer and, in the ensuing chaos, kill somebody close to him.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026
Definition of thug
Adjective
  • Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a crass and charismatic oil executive who’s called upon to help save the world after his company nearly destroys it.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 13 July 2026
  • Like a more crass, animated Seinfeld, Rocko deals with the mundanities and absurdities of daily life.
    — Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 20 June 2026
Definition of crass
Noun
  • Ritchson plays a tough guy who falls for a local gangster’s girl.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 21 July 2026
  • Remember all those fake memoirs from the early 2000s, by all those writers pretending to be addicts and gangsters and Holocaust survivors?
    — James Parker, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026
Definition of gangster
Adjective
  • In the nearly 90-second recording, Varela calls the customer service representative lazy, rude and racist and asks her for her name tag.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2026
  • Posey can deliver an absurd line with such conviction that arguing with her would seem rude.
    — Noel Burgess, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of rude
Noun
  • More than a year earlier, Arlington, Massachusetts sent four straight monthly payments totaling $446,000 to a criminal who had impersonated a real vendor and asked to switch from paper checks to electronic transfer.
    — Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Do not ignore a small charge because criminals sometimes use minor transactions to test an account.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of criminal
Adjective
  • After drying, stick the cuttings into small pots filled with coarse potting soil to ensure proper drainage.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 17 July 2026
  • Emily Young, a spokesperson for the Lake County Health Department, said in an email that there are fine particulates and coarse particulates.
    — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026
Definition of coarse
Noun
  • In July, Roku made the city even more interactive with a new brand campaign that guides users to visit six themed areas featuring humorous promo spots, including a pirate ship, a volcano and a villain’s evil lair.
    — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Still, bonus points for casting Chukwudi Iwuji as the menacing High Evolutionary, one of the oddest and most unsettling Marvel villains in recent memory.
    — EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of villain

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roughly
roughneck
roughnecks
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Cite this Entry

“Roughneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughneck. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of roughneck for Spanish Speakers

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