Coarse — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˈkȯrs/

Meaning & Definition of Coarse

Coarse (adjective)

  1. of ordinary or inferior quality or value, common
  2. composed of relatively large parts or particles
  3. loose or rough in texture

Coarse (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. made up of large particles

    "coarse rock salt was sprinkled on the icy walkway"

    similar: grained, grainy, granular, granulated
    related: unfiltered, unrefined, earthy, gravelly, gritty, sandy, pebbly, rocky, stony, coarse-grained, cracked, kibbled, lumpy, mealy
    opposite: dusty, fine, floury, powdery, superfine, ultrafine
    near: buttery, smooth, velvety, filtered, levigated, refined, close-grained, comminuted, ground, micronized, milled, mulled, pestled, pulverized, reduced, triturated

  2. lacking in refinement or good taste

    "the hockey player's coarse manners turned his date off completely"

    similar: common, crass, crude, gross, ill-bred, illiberal (archaic), incult, insensible, low, lowbred, lowbrow, raffish, rough, rough-hewn, roughneck, rude, rugged, tasteless, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar
    related: boorish, churlish, cloddish, clownish, loutish, ungentlemanly, clumsy, lubberly, lumpish, oafish, inconsiderate, indelicate, insensitive, thoughtless, countrified, provincial, rustic, unsophisticated, graceless, inelegant, tacky, animallike, barbaric, barbarous, uncivilized, mannerless, unmannered, unmannerly
    opposite: civilized, cultivated, cultured, genteel, polished, refined, smooth, tasteful, ultrarefined, well-bred
    near: aristocratic, courtly, patrician, elegant, graceful, restrained, considerate, gracious, sensitive, thoughtful, citified, sophisticated, urbane

  3. depicting or referring to sexual matters in a way that is unacceptable in polite society

    "offended by the coarse humor at the celebrity roast"

    similar: bawdy, blue, crude, dirty, filthy, foul, gross, gutter, impure, indecent, lascivious, lewd, locker-room, nasty, obscene, pornographic, porny, profane, raunchy, ribald, smutty, stag, trashy, unprintable, vulgar, wanton, X-rated
    related: broad, coarse-grained, gamy, off, off-color, racy, risqué, salacious, salty, suggestive, barnyard, earthy, scatological, immodest, indecorous, indelicate, low, unbecoming, depraved, kinky, louche, naughty, perverse, perverted, wicked, exceptionable, objectionable, unacceptable, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome, abhorrent, debasing, disgusting, loathsome, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, distasteful, obnoxious, unpleasant, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible, atrocious, infamous, abusive, scurrilous, hard-core, soft, soft-core
    opposite: clean, decent, G-rated, nonobscene, wholesome
    near: priggish, prim, prudish, puritanical, staid, straitlaced, Victorian, correct, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable, seemly, innocuous, inoffensive, acceptable, agreeable, desirable, pleasant, pleasing, welcome, appropriate, becoming, fit, meet, suitable, immaculate, perfect, pure, spotless, virginal, approved, endorsed, sanctioned

  4. harsh and dry in sound

    "a coarse laugh"

    similar: croaking, croaky, grating, gravel, gravelly, gruff, hoarse, husky, rasping, raspy, rusty, scratchy, throaty
    related: growling, growly, guttural, abrasive, cacophonous, discordant, grinding, jarring, rough, scraping, scratching, cawing, raucous, screeching, squawking, strident, choked, cracked, strained, strangled, dissonant, inharmonious, unmelodious, unmusical
    near: gentle, gliding, golden, liquid, mellifluent, mellifluous, mellow, soothing, sweet, tender, satiny, silken, smooth, soft, velvety, euphonious, lyric, lyrical, melodic, melodious, musical

  5. not having a level or smooth surface

    "the coarse surface of the sandpaper"

    similar: broken, bumpy, irregular, jagged, lumpy, pebbly, ragged, rough, roughened, rugged, scraggy, uneven
    related: lopsided, unbalanced, inexact, unaligned, rutted, rutty, undulating, undulatory, wavy, pitted, pocked, knobbly, knobby, knurled, knurly, nubbly, nubby, burred, harsh, sandpapery, scraggly, scratchy, nonuniform
    opposite: even, flat, level, plane, smooth
    near: exact, uniform, aligned, regular, true, horizontal, tabular, plumb, straight, vertical, flush

  6. of low quality

    "coarse imitations of quality merchandise"

    similar: bad, bargain-basement, bum, cheap, cheapjack, cheesy, common, crappy (slang), cut-rate, el cheapo, execrable, gimcrack, inferior, junky, lousy, low-grade, low-rent, mediocre, miserable, poor, rotten, rubbishy, schlock, second-rate, shoddy, sleazy, terrible, trashy, trumpery, wretched
    related: useless, valueless, worthless, indifferent, lackluster, second-class, brummagem, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, kitsch, kitschy, meretricious, ostentatious, showy, splashy, swank, tawdry, seedy, shabby, tacky, counterfeit, fake, phony, sham, supercheap, ultracheap
    opposite: excellent, fine, first-class, first-rate, good, high-grade, superior, top-notch
    near: elegant, handsome, tasteful, handcrafted, polished, refined

Related Entry: Coarse-grained (adjective)

Coarse-grained is a different word from Coarse. The synonyms below are for coarse-grained, not for coarse.

  1. as in broad, salty

    similar: broad, gamy, off, off-color, racy, risqué, salacious, salty, suggestive, bawdy, blue, coarse, crude, dirty, filthy, foul, gross, gutter, impure, indecent, lascivious, lewd, locker-room, nasty, obscene, pornographic, porny, profane, raunchy, ribald, smutty, stag, trashy, unprintable, vulgar, wanton, X-rated, barnyard, earthy, scatological, immodest, indecorous, indelicate, low, unbecoming, depraved, kinky, louche, naughty, perverse, perverted, wicked, exceptionable, objectionable, unacceptable, undesirable, unwanted, unwelcome, abhorrent, debasing, disgusting, loathsome, offensive, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, distasteful, obnoxious, unpleasant, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, reprehensible, atrocious, infamous
    opposite: clean, decent, G-rated, nonobscene, wholesome, priggish, prim, prudish, puritanical, staid, straitlaced, Victorian, correct, decorous, genteel, nice, polite, proper, respectable, seemly, innocuous, inoffensive, acceptable, agreeable, desirable, pleasant, pleasing, welcome, appropriate, becoming, fit, meet, suitable, immaculate, perfect, pure, spotless, virginal, approved, endorsed, sanctioned

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Coarse

The most common words with a similar meaning to Coarse:

Archaic: illiberal
Slang: crappy
grained, grainy, granular, granulated, common, crass, crude, gross, ill-bred, incult, insensible, low, lowbred, lowbrow, raffish, rough, rough-hewn, roughneck, rude, rugged, tasteless, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar, bawdy, blue, dirty, filthy, foul, gutter, impure, indecent, lascivious, lewd, locker-room, nasty, obscene

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Coarse

Words with the opposite meaning of Coarse:

dusty, fine, floury, powdery, superfine, ultrafine, civilized, cultivated, cultured, genteel, polished, refined, smooth, tasteful, ultrarefined, well-bred, clean, decent, G-rated, nonobscene, wholesome, even, flat, level, plane, excellent, first-class, first-rate, good, high-grade

Related Words for Coarse

unfiltered, earthy, gritty, sandy, rocky, stony, coarse-grained, cracked, kibbled, mealy, boorish, churlish, cloddish, clownish, loutish, ungentlemanly, clumsy, lubberly, lumpish, oafish, inconsiderate, indelicate, insensitive, thoughtless, countrified, provincial, rustic, unsophisticated, graceless, inelegant

Near Antonyms of Coarse

buttery, velvety, filtered, levigated, close-grained, comminuted, ground, micronized, milled, mulled, pestled, pulverized, reduced, triturated, aristocratic, courtly, patrician, elegant, graceful, restrained, considerate, gracious, sensitive, thoughtful, citified, sophisticated, urbane, priggish, prim, prudish

Word Forms of Coarse

Inflections: coarser, coarsest

Derived words: coarsely (adverb), coarseness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Coarse

Middle English cors, perhaps from course, noun see course:1

First known use: 14th century

Words & Phrases Containing Coarse

coarse fish, coarse-grained

Frequently Asked Questions about Coarse

What does "Coarse" mean?

"Coarse" means of ordinary or inferior quality or value, common. As an adjective, it is defined as: of ordinary or inferior quality or value, common. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Coarse"?

Other words for "Coarse" include grained, grainy, granular, granulated, common, crass, crude and gross. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Coarse" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Coarse"?

There are 262 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Coarse". Common alternatives include grained, grainy, granular, granulated, common, crass, crude, gross, ill-bred and illiberal.

What is the opposite of "Coarse"?

Antonyms of "Coarse" include dusty, fine, floury, powdery, superfine, ultrafine, civilized and cultivated. Near antonyms include buttery, velvety, filtered and levigated.

How do you use "Coarse" in a sentence?

Examples of "Coarse" in a sentence: "coarse rock salt was sprinkled on the icy walkway"; "the hockey player's coarse manners turned his date off completely"; "offended by the coarse humor at the celebrity roast".

Is "Coarse" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Coarse" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Coarse"?

"Coarse" is pronounced /ˈkȯrs/.

What is the origin of the word "Coarse"?

"Coarse" comes from Middle English cors, perhaps from course, noun see course:1. First known use: 14th century.