coarse

[ kawrs, kohrs ]

adjective

, coars·er, coars·est.

1. composed of relatively large parts or particles:

   The beach had rough, coarse sand.

2. lacking in fineness or delicacy of texture, structure, etc.:

   The stiff, coarse fabric irritated her skin.

   Synonyms: rough, rude, crude

3. harsh; grating.
4. lacking delicacy, taste, or refinement; unpolished:

   He had coarse manners but an absolutely first-rate mind.

   Synonyms: crass, gross, vulgar, rough, rude, crude

   Antonyms: sensitive, refined

5. of inferior or faulty quality; common; base.
6. vulgar; obscene; crude:

   His coarse language angered us.

   Synonyms: indelicate

7. (of metals) unrefined.
8. (of a metal file) having the maximum commercial grade of coarseness.

coarse

/ kɔːs /

adjective

1. rough in texture, structure, etc; not fine

   coarse sand

2. lacking refinement or taste; indelicate; vulgar

   coarse jokes

3. of inferior quality; not pure or choice
4. (of a metal) not refined
5. (of a screw) having widely spaced threads

Derived Forms

• ˈcoarseness, noun
• ˈcoarsely, adverb

Other Words From

• coarsely adverb
• coarseness noun
• un·coarse adjective
• un·coarsely adverb
• un·coarseness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of coarse¹

First recorded in 1550–60; earlier cors(e), course, cowarce; of obscure origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of coarse¹

C14: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

In general, a coarse grind takes about 10 seconds and a fine grind takes around 30.

From Popular-Science

None of the coarse aerosols or phone swabs yielded any infectious virus.

From Science News

Lastly, gold-plated curling irons are great for coarse, thick hair because they heat up fast.

From Popular-Science

We had global image coverage of Mars, but it was relatively coarse.

From Popular-Science

Working in batches as needed, pulse them in a spice grinder or food processor to a coarse powder.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• bawdy
• boorish
• crass
• crude
• dirty
• gruff
• nasty
• obscene
• off-color
• raw
• ribald
• rude
• scatological
• vulgar