roughness
n. uncountable B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɹəfnəs// UK //ɹˈʌfnəs// rough·ness
n. the quality of having a surface that is not smooth. It can also describe a person's voice or behavior that is not polite or gentle.
n. the quality of being uneven or not smooth in texture; the state of being coarse or unrefined in manner or voice.
The roughness of the sandpaper made it easy to scratch the wood.
Engineers must measure the surface roughness of the turbine blades to ensure they do not cause excessive friction.
While the technical specifications required a mirror finish, the artisan preferred the subtle roughness of the hand-hewn stone, finding it more aesthetically pleasing and tactile.
Inherited from Middle English roughnes /roughnesse. By surface analysis, rough + -ness. Compare Old English hrēohnes (“roughness”).