Word forms: comparative coarser, superlative coarsest
1. adjective
Coarse things have a rough texture because they consist of thick threads or large pieces.
...a jacket made of very coarse cloth.
...a beach of coarse sand.
coarselyadverb
...coarsely-ground black pepper.
2. adjective
If you describe someone as coarse, you mean that he or she talks and behaves in a rude and offensive way.
[disapproval]
The soldiers did not bother to moderate their coarse humour in her presence.
coarselyadverb [ADVERB with verb]
The women laughed coarsely at some vulgar joke.
coarsenessuncountable noun
The coarseness of her cursing amazed the workmen.
Synonyms: vulgarity, smut, roughness, poor taste More Synonyms of coarse
Synonyms: roughness, unevenness More Synonyms of coarse
More Synonyms of coarse
coarse in British English
(kɔːs)
adjective
1.
rough in texture, structure, etc; not fine
coarse sand
2.
lacking refinement or taste; indelicate; vulgar
coarse jokes
3.
of inferior quality; not pure or choice
4.
(of a metal) not refined
5.
(of a screw) having widely spaced threads
Derived forms
coarsely (ˈcoarsely)
adverb
coarseness (ˈcoarseness)
noun
Word origin
C14: of unknown origin
coarse in American English
(kɔrs)
adjectiveWord forms: ˈcoarser or ˈcoarsest
1.
of inferior or poor quality; common
coarse fare
2.
consisting of rather large elements or particles
coarse sand
3.
not fine or delicate in texture, structure, form, etc.; rough; harsh
coarse features, coarse cloth
4.
for rough or crude work or results
a coarse file, coarse measurements
5.
lacking in refinement or good taste; vulgar; crude
a coarse joke
SYNONYMY NOTE: coarse, in this comparison, implies such a lack of refinement in manners or speech as tobe offensive to one's aesthetic or moral sense [coarse laughter]; gross suggests a brutish crudeness or roughness [gross table manners]; indelicate suggests a verging on impropriety or immodesty [an indelicate remark]; vulgar, in this connection, emphasizes a lack of proper training, culture, or good taste[the vulgar ostentation of her home]; obscene is used of that which is offensive to decency or modesty and implies lewdness [obscene gestures]; ribald suggests such mild indecency or lewdness as might bring laughter from those who arenot too squeamish [ribald jokes ]
OPPOSITE: refined
Derived forms
coarsely (ˈcoarsely)
adverb
coarseness (ˈcoarseness)
noun
Word origin
specialized var. of course in sense of “ordinary or usual order” as in of course
Synonyms of 'coarse'
rough, crude, unfinished, homespun
vulgar, offensive, rude, indecent
loutish, rough, brutish, boorish
More Synonyms of coarse
In other languages
coarse
British English: coarse /kɔːs/ ADJECTIVE
roughCoarse things have a rough texture.
...a beach of coarse sand.
American English: coarse
Arabic: فَظّ
Brazilian Portuguese: grosseiro
Chinese: 粗糙的
Croatian: grub
Czech: hrubý povrch
Danish: grov
Dutch: grof ruw
European Spanish: basto
Finnish: karkea kangas ym.
French: grossier épais
German: grob
Greek: τραχύς
Italian: grezzo
Japanese: きめの粗い
Korean: 거친
Norwegian: grov
Polish: szorstki
European Portuguese: grosseiro
Romanian: aspru
Russian: грубый
Latin American Spanish: tosco
Swedish: grov storkornig
Thai: อย่างหยาบ
Turkish: kaba kumaş, sakal vb
Ukrainian: грубий
Vietnamese: thô
British English: coarse ADJECTIVE
vulgar If you describe someone as coarse, you mean that he or she talks and behaves in a rude and offensive way.
The soldiers did not bother to moderate their coarse humor in her presence.
American English: coarse
Brazilian Portuguese: grosseiro
Chinese: 粗鲁的
European Spanish: ordinario
French: grossier
German: derb
Italian: volgare
Japanese: 粗野な
Korean: 음탕한
European Portuguese: grosseiro
Latin American Spanish: ordinario
Chinese translation of 'coarse'
coarse
(kɔːs)
adj
[cloth, salt, sand]粗的 (cū de)
(= vulgar)[person, remark]粗俗的 (cūsú de)
1 (adjective)
Definition
rough in texture or structure
He wore a shepherd's tunic of coarse cloth.a tablespoon of coarse sea salt
Synonyms
rough
Make a rough plan of the space.
crude
8.5 million tonnes of crude steel
unfinished
unfinished wood ready for you to varnish or paint
homespun
The book is simple, homespun philosophy.
impure
unrefined
the price of unrefined oil as it comes out of the ground
rough-hewn
unprocessed
unpolished
Much of the prose is unpolished.
coarse-grained
unpurified
Opposites
soft
,
polished
,
smooth
,
refined
,
purified
,
fine-grained
2 (adjective)
Definition
unrefined or indecent
He has a very coarse sense of humour.
Synonyms
vulgar
a TV show well known for its vulgar jokes
offensive
rude
He made a rude gesture with his finger.
indecent
She accused him of making indecent suggestions.
improper
The politicians denied any improper behaviour.
raunchy (informal)
a raunchy movie
earthy
his extremely earthy brand of humour
foul-mouthed
He's a coarse, foul-mouthed man.
bawdy
We got arrested once, for singing bawdy songs in a cemetery.
impure
He was accused of having impure motives.
smutty
She said she detested smutty jokes.
impolite
It would be most impolite to refuse a simple invitation to supper.
ribald
her ribald comments about a guest's body language
immodest
Noni doesn't like the immodest outfits and dancing.
indelicate
She could not touch upon such an indelicate subject.
3 (adjective)
Definition
unrefined or indecent
They don't know how to behave, and are coarse and insulting.
Synonyms
loutish
I was appalled by the loutish behaviour.
rough
He was rough and common.
brutish
The man was brutish and coarse.
boorish
the boorish behaviour of some players
uncivil
The shock of being addressed in such an uncivil tone was too much.
Opposites
fine
,
cultured
,
polished
,
sophisticated
,
proper
,
pleasant
,
refined
,
polite
,
civilized
,
genteel
,
urbane
,
well-bred
,
inoffensive
,
well-mannered
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bawdy
Definition
(of language, writing, etc.) containing humorous references to sex
We got arrested once, for singing bawdy songs in a cemetery.