crude
Americanadjective
-
in a raw or unprepared state; unrefined or natural.
crude sugar.
- Synonyms:
- coarse, unfinished
- Antonyms:
- refined
-
lacking in intellectual subtlety, perceptivity, etc.; rudimentary; undeveloped.
-
lacking finish, polish, or completeness.
a crude summary.
-
lacking culture, refinement, tact, etc..
crude behavior.
- Antonyms:
- refined
-
undisguised; blunt.
a crude answer.
-
Obsolete. unripe; not mature.
noun
adjective
-
lacking taste, tact, or refinement; vulgar
a crude joke
-
in a natural or unrefined state
-
lacking care, knowledge, or skill
a crude sketch
-
(prenominal) stark; blunt
the crude facts
-
(of statistical data) unclassified or unanalysed
-
archaic unripe
noun
Related Words
See raw.
Other Word Forms
- crudely adverb
- crudeness noun
- crudity noun
- uncrude adjective
- uncrudeness noun
Etymology
Origin of crude
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin crūdus “uncooked, raw, bleeding, rough,” akin to cruor “blood from a wound”; raw
Explanation
Is it gross? Unsophisticated? Totally tasteless and positively offensive? Then you can describe it as crude. Crude is not rude when it’s used to describe unprocessed oil, which it first was associated with in 1865. From the Latin crudo, meaning "rough, raw," crude today can be used to describe anything or anyone that's unrefined and rough around the edges. So don’t be too insulted by the large-nosed portrait that cartoonist made for you. It’s just a quick, crude drawing meant to be funny.
Vocabulary lists containing crude
The Diary of Anne Frank
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List 3
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 4
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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.
Fears about a shortage of naphtha - a petrochemical produced from crude oil and a key raw ingredient in plastics - are also simmering in Japan.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
U.S. crude oil inventories fell for the first time in eight weeks as exports picked up, with buyers turning to alternative suppliers due to severe disruptions in the Persian Gulf.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Japan's cooperation framework aims to help Asian countries procure crude oil and petroleum products, as well as maintain supply chains and expand stockpiles.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
Oil prices flitted between small gains and losses, with U.S. crude futures ending the day up less than 0.1% at $91.29 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
He nudged me, and I looked down at the dirt, where he had drawn a crude map of the perimeter of the camp, an X marked in the southeast corner, farthest from the guard tower.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
