coarse
Americanadjective
-
coarser,
comparative
-
coarsest
superlative
-
composed of relatively large parts or particles.
The beach had rough, coarse sand.
-
lacking in fineness or delicacy of texture, structure, etc..
The stiff, coarse fabric irritated her skin.
-
harsh; grating.
-
lacking delicacy, taste, or refinement; unpolished.
He had coarse manners but an absolutely first-rate mind.
-
of inferior or faulty quality; common; base.
-
vulgar; obscene; crude.
His coarse language angered us.
- Synonyms:
- indelicate
-
(of metals) unrefined.
-
(of a metal file) having the maximum commercial grade of coarseness.
adjective
-
rough in texture, structure, etc; not fine
coarse sand
-
lacking refinement or taste; indelicate; vulgar
coarse jokes
-
of inferior quality; not pure or choice
-
(of a metal) not refined
-
(of a screw) having widely spaced threads
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of coarse
First recorded in 1550–60; earlier cors(e), course, cowarce; of obscure origin
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing coarse
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 6
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
County prosecutor, accused Hochman of contradicting himself, questioning the D.A.’s efforts to justify the officers’ coarse language.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
On the other goes a coarse, olive-bar-inspired romesco made with jarred roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, salted roasted almonds and smoked paprika.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
They detected sharp, short-lived increases in both coarse and fine airborne particles throughout the event.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 4, 2026
Some large coarse fish, such as chub, roach and dace were also killed.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Elisha began interrupting Maggie while in session, sending in notes, “Come out for a moment from those coarse people … Surely you can rest a minute! Come dearest fluttering bird! Come!”
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
Concentrations of coarser particles, which are also linked to respiratory illness, exceeded Kosovo's daily legal limit on 16 days.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
Unlike Maricopa Highway 33, Hudson Ranch Road features coarser asphalt, no guardrails and more passing zones than turnouts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
They’re small, the colors are garish, and they’re coarser in feeling than the work for which he is best known.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 24, 2026
Instead of chasing smoothness, I embraced the coarser texture of cornmeal, letting it resist cohesion.
From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2025
Instead of saying ba-ka-ta-re, a common insult meaning stupid, Terminal Islanders would say ba-ka-ya-ro, a coarser and exclusively masculine use of the word, which implies gross stupidity.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
Is it a mistake to always default to the view that the people in the mirror universe are driven by the coarsest possible factors, by racism and greed, for example?
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2023
If you have multiple files, work from coarsest to finest, just like sanding a table.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 3, 2022
Justice Stephen G. Breyer was particularly concerned about whether racial slurs and the coarsest of words have a lingering effect.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2019
Areas closest to the river and its branches rose the highest in elevation, because they got the most doses of the coarsest sediment.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 3, 2018
So on that day, Wu Tsing, fearful of my mother’s vengeful spirit, wore the coarsest of white cotton mourning clothes.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
