roughneck
noun
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Definition of roughneck
(Entry 1 of 2)
roughneck
adjectiveDefinition of roughneck (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms & Antonyms for roughneck
Synonyms: Noun
bully, gangbanger, gangsta, gangster, goon, gorilla, hood, hoodlum, hooligan, mobster, mug, plug-ugly, punk, rowdy, ruffian, thug, tough, toughie (also toughy), yob [British], yobbo [British]
Synonyms: Adjective
coarse, common, crass, crude, gross, ill-bred, illiberal [archaic], incult, insensible, low, lowbred, lowbrow, raffish, rough, rough-hewn, rude, rugged, tasteless, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar
Antonyms: Adjective
civilized, cultivated, cultured, genteel, polished, refined, smooth, tasteful, ultrarefined, well-bred
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Examples of roughneck in a Sentence
Noun
a town overrun by roughnecks a group of roughnecks like to hang out at the roadhouse and harass peopleAdjective
their roughneck antics were amusing only if you were as drunk as they were
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Booms are great for those riding them, like roughnecks and tech workers. — Kate Galbraith, SFChronicle.com, "How Silicon Valley resembles the Texas oil patch," 7 Aug. 2019 As the roughneck in love with Harry's frisky daughter, Ben Affleck flexes resolute muscle with his heady performance. — Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Armageddon': THR's 1998 Review," 1 July 2019 Like many cities at this time, Baltimore had its share of roughnecks, pick pockets, petty thieves, charlatans and card sharks. — John Wilmerding, WSJ, "A Winning Group of Cheaters," 28 Sep. 2018 Ninth-century Britain is a battleground of invading roughneck Vikings and the devoutly Christian Anglo-Saxons trying to hold them off. — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, "The Last Kingdom," 21 Nov. 2018 Three years later, the hill and 2 square miles of the surrounding plains incorporated as the city of Signal Hill, a settlement of roughnecks and wildcatters, an oil boomtown during the time when California produced a quarter of the world’s oil. — Scott Garner, latimes.com, "Neighborhood Spotlight: Signal Hill keeps progress in view without blocking out its oil town past," 22 June 2018 There are fewer roughnecks, as my old landlord had warned, to trash the place. — Longreads, "Life on the Oil Frontier," 23 Apr. 2018 Later, Dollens worked as a roughneck in the oil fields. — Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, "The Teachers’ Strike and the Democratic Revival in Oklahoma," 4 June 2017 Somebody’s oil worker boyfriend might trash the place; indeed, the last round of roughnecks already have. — Longreads, "Life on the Oil Frontier," 23 Apr. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Overwatch’s latest short focused on McCree, the game’s popular, roughneck cowboy character. — Julia Alexander, The Verge, "Blizzard’s stunning cinematics stole the show at BlizzCon 2018," 2 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'roughneck.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for roughneck
roughneck
noun
English Language Learners Definition of roughneck
See the full definition for roughneck in the English Language Learners Dictionary
roughneck
noun
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