coarse

/kɔrs/
/kɔs/
IPA guide

Other forms: coarser; coarsest

Coarse can mean rough to the touch or vulgar. It's good to have coarse sand paper, but not good to have coarse manners.

Do you lick your dinner plate, wipe your nose on your sleeve, and generally behave like an oaf? No, of course not. You're the kind of person who reads online dictionaries. But if you did do any of things, you'd be coarse — that is, unrefined, boorish, and downright vulgar. Coarse can apply to a wide variety of things other than behavior. If something is of poor quality, cheap and inferior, it's considered coarse.

Definitions of coarse
  1. adjective
    of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
    “coarse meal”
    “coarse sand”
    “a coarse weave”
    synonyms: harsh
    coarse-grained, large-grained
    not having a fine texture
    coarse-grained, farinaceous, grainy, granular, granulose, gritty, mealy
    composed of or covered with particles resembling meal in texture or consistency
    granulated
    made grainy or formed into granules
    plush-like, plushy
    (of textures) resembling plush
    loose, open
    (of textures) full of small openings or gaps
    rough, unsmooth
    having or caused by an irregular surface
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    fine
    of textures that are smooth to the touch or substances consisting of relatively small particles
    close, tight
    of textiles
    close-grained, fine-grained
    dense or compact in structure or texture, as a wood composed of small-diameter cells
    dustlike
    as fine and powdery as dust
    floury
    resembling flour in fine powdery texture
    nongranular
    not having granules
    fine-grained, powdered, powdery, pulverised, pulverized, small-grained
    consisting of fine particles
    small
    have fine or very small constituent particles
    superfine
    of extremely fine size or texture
    smooth
    having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
    show more antonyms...
  2. adjective
    lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
    “he had coarse manners but a first-rate mind”
    synonyms: common, rough-cut, uncouth, vulgar
    unrefined
    (used of persons and their behavior) not refined; uncouth
  3. adjective
    of low or inferior quality or value
    “"of what coarse metal ye are molded"- Shakespeare”
    synonyms: common
    inferior
    of low or inferior quality
Pronunciation
US
/kɔrs/
UK
/kɔs/
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

Copy citation
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘coarse'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family

Vocabulary lists containing coarse

The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone

On the New SAT, all of the Reading Test questions are multiple choice and are based on reading passages that may be taken from literature, science, the social sciences, or a US founding document (or a text inspired by such a document). Many of the reading comprehension questions meant to assess a student’s understanding of those passages will require students to choose words that best describe the writer’s tone or point of view, words like the 200 words you see on this list. Learn them here so when you see them in an SAT answer choice, you’ll know what they mean! Here are all of our word lists to help you prepare for the new SAT (debuting March of 2016): The Language of the Test, Multiple-Meaning Words, and Words to Capture Tone.

view more about the vocabulary list
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 6

On the SAT, all of the Reading Test questions are multiple choice and are based on reading passages that may be taken from literature, science, the social sciences, or a U.S. founding document (or a text inspired by such a document). Many of the reading comprehension questions meant to assess a student’s understanding of those passages will require students to choose words that best describe the writer’s tone or point of view, words like the 25 words you see on this list. Learn them here so when you see them in an SAT answer choice, you’ll know what they mean! Following our Roadmap to the SAT? Head back to see what else you should be learning this week.

"Of Mice and Men"

Here are 100 key words for understanding John Steinbeck’s 1937 tragic novel "Of Mice and Men" -- set during the Great Depression in California.

MORE VOCABULARY LISTS