rude

¹

[rood]

adjective

ruder, rudest 

1. discourteous or impolite, especially in a deliberate way.

   a rude reply.

   Synonyms: fresh, pert, saucy, impudent, impertinent, brusque, curt, unmannerly, uncivil

2. without culture, learning, or refinement.

   rude, illiterate peasants.

   Synonyms: rough, vulgar, coarse, uncouth, uncivilized, uncultured, unrefined

3. rough in manners or behavior; unmannerly; uncouth.

4. rough, harsh, or ungentle.

   rude hands.

5. roughly wrought, built, or formed; of a crude construction or kind.

   a rude cottage.

6. not properly or fully developed; raw; unevolved.

   a rude first stage of development.

7. harsh to the ear.

   rude sounds.

8. without artistic elegance; of a primitive simplicity.

   a rude design.

   Synonyms: artless, rustic

9. violent or tempestuous, as the waves.

   Synonyms: stormy, turbulent, tumultuous, fierce

10. robust, sturdy, or vigorous.

    rude strength.

11. approximate or tentative.

    a rude first calculation of costs.

Rude

²

[ryd]

noun

1. François 1784–1855, French sculptor.

rude

/ ruːd /

adjective

1. insulting or uncivil; discourteous; impolite

   he was rude about her hairstyle

2. lacking refinement; coarse or uncouth

3. vulgar or obscene

   a rude joke

4. unexpected and unpleasant

   a rude awakening to the facts of economic life

5. roughly or crudely made

   we made a rude shelter on the island

6. rough or harsh in sound, appearance, or behaviour

7. humble or lowly

8. (prenominal) robust or sturdy

   in rude health

9. (prenominal) approximate or imprecise

   a rude estimate

Other Word Forms

• rudely adverb
• rudeness noun
• overrude adjective
• overrudely adverb
• overrudeness noun
• unrude adjective
• unrudely adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of rude¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English rude, ruide, from Old French, from Latin rudis

Word History and Origins

Origin of rude¹

C14: via Old French from Latin rudis coarse, unformed

Synonym Study

See boorish. See raw.

Example Sentences

Nov. 28, the complaint said, Hernandez knocked the shades off Seitz’s head “in a rude and offensive manner” and “an altercation broke out.”

From Los Angeles Times

That leaves matters of artistic character and there’s no getting around the fact that Blair has made the conscious decision that his “Toxic Avenger,” though rude, violent and goofy to a fault, wouldn’t look bad.

From Los Angeles Times

"It's not being rude or being nosey, I need to know from a planning point of view because it's the change that I work."

From BBC

That rude clatter is his equivalent of a sonnet.

From Los Angeles Times

Then, each summer, we get a rude reminder.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abusive 
• blunt 
• boorish 
• coarse 
• crude 
• ignorant 
• impolite 
• insulting 
• intrusive 
• obscene 
• surly 
• vulgar