crude

[ krood ]

adjective

, crud·er, crud·est.

1. in a raw or unprepared state; unrefined or natural:

   crude sugar.

   Synonyms: coarse, unfinished

   Antonyms: refined

2. lacking in intellectual subtlety, perceptivity, etc.; rudimentary; undeveloped.
3. lacking finish, polish, or completeness:

   a crude summary.

4. lacking culture, refinement, tact, etc.:

   crude behavior.

   Synonyms: clumsy, coarse, rude, rough, uncouth

   Antonyms: refined

5. undisguised; blunt:

   a crude answer.

6. Obsolete. unripe; not mature.

noun

1. crude oil.

crude

/ kruːd /

adjective

1. lacking taste, tact, or refinement; vulgar

   a crude joke

2. in a natural or unrefined state
3. lacking care, knowledge, or skill

   a crude sketch

4. prenominal stark; blunt

   the crude facts

5. (of statistical data) unclassified or unanalysed
6. archaic.
   unripe

noun

1. short for crude oil

Derived Forms

• ˈcrudity, noun
• ˈcrudely, adverb

Other Words From

• crude·ly adverb
• crude·ness noun
• un·crude· adjective
• un·crude·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of crude¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin crūdus “uncooked, raw, bleeding, rough,” akin to cruor “blood from a wound”; raw

Word History and Origins

Origin of crude¹

C14: from Latin crūdus bloody, raw; related to Latin cruor blood

Synonym Study

See raw.

Example Sentences

Mike Tyson spoke just a few words, Jake Paul made crude references and Briton Tony Bellew was escorted out of the arena by security at a baffling news conference in Texas.

From BBC

Now, De León is on track to lose his seat, largely because of the scandal over the recording, which featured crude and racist remarks.

From Los Angeles Times

But civil discourse has been ground down to a useless nub at this point, and a presidential candidate can share crude jokes about his opponent with barely a blip in the news cycle.

From Salon

The bruising, yearlong contest pitted Jurado, a first-time candidate, against De León, a veteran lawmaker who was politically wounded by his participation in a secretly recorded conversation that featured racist and crude remarks.

From Los Angeles Times

Married to Stanley, a man of carnal appetites and vulgar manners, Stella has embraced the crude pleasures of realism, while her freeloading sister still clings to tattered aristocratic illusions.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• amateurish
• coarse
• harsh
• homemade
• makeshift
• primitive
• raw
• rude
• rudimentary
• simple
• unprocessed