Coarseness — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈkȯrs/

Meaning & Definition of Coarseness

Coarseness (adjective)

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

Coarseness (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the quality or state of being obscene

    "the coarseness of the movie's humor makes it unsuitable for children"

    similar: bawdiness, blueness, crudeness, crudity, dirt, dirtiness, filth, filthiness, foulness, grossness, impureness, impurity, indecency, lasciviousness, lewdness, nastiness, obscenity, profanity, raunch, raunchiness, ribaldry, smut, smuttiness, vulgarity, wantonness
    related: broadness, earthiness, gaminess, raciness, saltiness, suggestiveness, immodesty, indecorousness, indelicacy, indelicateness, lowness, unbecomingness, lechery, depravedness, depravity, kinkiness, naughtiness, perverseness, perversion, perversity, pervertedness, wickedness, exceptionability, objectionableness, unacceptability, undesirability, reprehensibility, reprehensibleness, abusiveness, scurrilousness, atrociousness, atrocity, infamy, loathsomeness, offensiveness, repellency, repugnance, repulsiveness, distastefulness, obnoxiousness, unpleasantness
    near: priggery, priggishness, primness, prudery, prudishness, puritanism, correctness, decency, decorousness, decorum, seemliness, appropriateness, fitness, suitability, suitableness, perfection, purity, spotlessness

  2. the quality or state of lacking refinement or good taste

    "there was a coarseness about her that really bothered her boyfriend's well-bred friends"

    similar: commonness, crassness, crudeness, crudity, grossness, indelicacy, indelicateness, lowness, raffishness, rawness, roughness, rudeness, tastelessness, vulgarity
    related: boorishness, brutishness, churlishness, clownishness, loutishness, rowdiness, rusticity, uncouthness, artlessness, gracelessness, inelegance, unsophistication, insensitiveness, insensitivity, thoughtlessness, kitsch, tackiness
    opposite: cultivation, genteelness, gentility, polish, refinement, tastefulness
    near: courtliness, urbanity, elegance, grace, graciousness, consideration, sensitivity, thoughtfulness

Related Entry: Coarse (adjective)

Coarse is a different word from Coarseness. The synonyms below are for coarse, not for coarseness.

  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

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Coarseness

The most common words with a similar meaning to Coarseness:

bawdiness, blueness, crudeness, crudity, dirt, dirtiness, filth, filthiness, foulness, grossness, impureness, impurity, indecency, lasciviousness, lewdness, nastiness, obscenity, profanity, raunch, raunchiness, ribaldry, smut, smuttiness, vulgarity, wantonness, commonness, crassness, indelicacy, indelicateness, lowness, raffishness, rawness, roughness, rudeness, tastelessness

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Coarseness

Words with the opposite meaning of Coarseness:

cultivation, genteelness, gentility, polish, refinement, tastefulness

Related Words for Coarseness

broadness, earthiness, gaminess, raciness, saltiness, suggestiveness, immodesty, indecorousness, unbecomingness, lechery, depravedness, depravity, kinkiness, naughtiness, perverseness, perversion, perversity, pervertedness, wickedness, exceptionability, objectionableness, unacceptability, undesirability, reprehensibility, reprehensibleness, abusiveness, scurrilousness, atrociousness, atrocity, infamy

Near Antonyms of Coarseness

priggery, priggishness, primness, prudery, prudishness, puritanism, correctness, decency, decorousness, decorum, seemliness, appropriateness, fitness, suitability, suitableness, perfection, purity, spotlessness, courtliness, urbanity, elegance, grace, graciousness, consideration, sensitivity, thoughtfulness

Word Forms of Coarseness

Inflections: coarser, coarsest

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

Origin & Etymology of Coarseness

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

First known use: 14th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Coarseness

What does "Coarseness" mean?

"Coarseness" means of ordinary or inferior quality or value, common. As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: of ordinary or inferior quality or value, common. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Coarseness"?

Other words for "Coarseness" include bawdiness, blueness, crudeness, crudity, dirt, dirtiness, filth and filthiness. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Coarseness" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Coarseness"?

There are 90 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Coarseness". Common alternatives include bawdiness, blueness, crudeness, crudity, dirt, dirtiness, filth, filthiness, foulness and grossness.

What is the opposite of "Coarseness"?

Antonyms of "Coarseness" include cultivation, genteelness, gentility, polish, refinement and tastefulness. Near antonyms include priggery, priggishness, primness and prudery.

How do you use "Coarseness" in a sentence?

Examples of "Coarseness" in a sentence: "the coarseness of the movie's humor makes it unsuitable for children"; "there was a coarseness about her that really bothered her boyfriend's well-bred friends".

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

"Coarseness" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Coarseness"?

"Coarseness" is pronounced /ˈkȯrs/.

What is the origin of the word "Coarseness"?

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