1
2
3

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective uneven contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of uneven are harsh, rough, rugged, and scabrous. While all these words mean "not smooth or even," uneven implies a lack of uniformity in height, breadth, or quality.

an old house with uneven floors

When is harsh a more appropriate choice than uneven?

The synonyms harsh and uneven are sometimes interchangeable, but harsh implies a surface or texture distinctly unpleasant to the touch.

a harsh fabric that chafes the skin

In what contexts can rough take the place of uneven?

While in some cases nearly identical to uneven, rough implies points, bristles, ridges, or projections on the surface.

a rough wooden board

When could rugged be used to replace uneven?

The words rugged and uneven are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, rugged implies irregularity or roughness of land surface and connotes difficulty of travel.

a rugged landscape

When is it sensible to use scabrous instead of uneven?

While the synonyms scabrous and uneven are close in meaning, scabrous implies scaliness or prickliness of surface.

a scabrous leaf

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 uneven Without clear company-wide standards, this model can lead to uneven experiences across departments. Sharon Wu, USA Today, 31 July 2025 The results will be uneven, especially in the quick service restaurant industry, because some stores are upgraded well before other locations. Jeff Marks, CNBC, 29 July 2025 Distribution, besides being lethal, is uneven, with reports of aid being diverted or stolen before reaching intended recipients. Juwayriah Wright, Time, 24 July 2025 And while Wednesday’s practice at Loyola Marymount was uneven for the line – the Rams’ pass rush won frequently and had backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo under pressure for much of the day – Shelton came away encouraged with the foundation his group is building. Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 24 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for uneven
Recent Examples of Synonyms for uneven
Adjective
  • The vastness of the canyon, with its jagged edges and rushing rivers.
    Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 16 July 2025
  • Major stock indexes continued their jagged descent downward in morning trading Tuesday after tumbling Monday.
    Tobias Burns, The Hill, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • The black hole and its crooked jet are found in a blazar known as OJ 287, located about four billion light-years away.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 1 Aug. 2025
  • There are all sorts of bad husbands in The Hunting Wives: Jed (Dermot Mulroney) is a horny oil tycoon with his eyes set on the governor’s mansion, Clint (Jason Davis) is a snobby reverend, and Jonny (Branton Box) is a crooked sheriff.
    Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Opening originally in the 1990s as Mean Streak, the old rough wooden coaster was given new life in 2018 with its transformation into arguably the greatest roller coaster of all time.
    Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Aug. 2025
  • The company had a rough second quarter, with automotive revenue falling 16% compared to a year ago — the second straight quarter of lower sales.
    Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The Thai military has since claimed that more than 100 Cambodian soldiers have been killed as fighting spread throughout their rugged border, spanning some 500 miles.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
  • Adventure Mate uses a mixture of hardened tool steel, composite and aerospace-grade aluminum to create a powerful, rugged tool that weighs in under 5 lb (2.3 kg) inclusive of all the hard components (handle, axe/saw head and shovel head).
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 July 2025
Adjective
  • The white supremacists who wrote the Texas constitutions of 1866 and 1876 ensured that schooling for Black and white students remained inherently separate and unequal.
    Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
  • There is no question that separate and unequal schooling created vast disparities in educational attainment.
    Idrees Kahloon, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Adjective
  • Mason Jones, who missed the last game with an oblique injury, came off the bench to post 15 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Kings (5-0).
    Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 20 July 2025
  • In his absence, the Marlins will rely primarily on Graham Pauley (who has played 23 games at third base and filled in when Norby missed time with an oblique injury earlier this season) and Javier Sanoja, who has played nine games at third this season.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 July 2025
Adjective
  • There is a broken down vehicle on I-40/US-71 from Longview Road to Red Bridge Road.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2025
  • The video, shot in New York, was directed by Amber Grace Johnson and shot on 35mm film, depicting Roan making her way through the city in cartoonishly long wigs and loathing about a broken heart on the subway.
    Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • To do this, the team used a robotic arm equipped with a force and torque sensor to measure air flow in hundreds of spots inside a short model duct to build up a map that shows the unstable danger points in a circular duct and safer ones where the air currents cancel one another out.
    David Szondy August 02, New Atlas, 2 Aug. 2025
  • Various threats could cause the remains of the English warship Northumberland to become unstable.
    Jade Walker, CNN Money, 1 Aug. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

More from Merriam-Webster on uneven

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!