ENGLISH
REFERENCE

coarse

adj.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈkɔɹs// UK //kˈɔːs// coarse Archaic

adj. rough in texture or quality. You use it to describe something that is not smooth, soft, or fine.

adj. having a rough, open, or uneven texture; lacking fineness or delicacy in quality or manner.


SIMPLE

The coarse sand scratched my skin.

CONTEXTUAL

She preferred the coarse linen sheets because they felt cooler in the summer heat.

COMPLEX

His coarse manners offended the guests, who were accustomed to the refined etiquette of the upper class.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

Adjectival use of course that diverged in spelling in the 18th century. The sense developed from '(following) the usual course' (cf. of course) to 'ordinary, common' to 'lacking refinement', with 'not fine, granular' arising from its application to cloth. Compare the development of mean.

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