Meanings
comparative rougher around the edges · superlative roughest around the edges · alternative rough round the edges · alternative rough-around-the-edges
- idiomaticinformalIn need of refinement; unsophisticated.
His writing is appealing, but a bit rough around the edges.
3 more examples
While rough around the edges, the church is really a wonderful place to be.
The north side of town is a less expensive, rougher round the edges choice for a young family.
Caine was pretty rough around the edges, though. I wasn't quite on Scratch's level of thinking outside the box, but it was good groundwork for something the rest of the team could wrap their heads around.
2026 March 20, Gooseworx, “hjsakldfhl” (19:55 from the start), in The Amazing Digital Circus, episode 8, spoken by Kinger (Sean Chiplock)
Synonyms & antonyms
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 粗中有細 /粗中有细
- 粗中有細 /粗中有细in need of refinement
Finnish hiomaton
- hiomatonin need of refinement
French brut de décoffrage
- brut de décoffragein need of refinement
Italian smussare gli angoli
- smussare gli angoliin need of refinement
Polish niedoskonały, nieoszlifowany
- niedoskonałyin need of refinement
- nieoszlifowanyin need of refinement
Russian грубоватый
- грубоватый (grubovatyj)in need of refinement
Spanish tosco
- toscoin need of refinement
Cite this entry
rough around the edges. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rough%20around%20the%20edges
“rough around the edges.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rough%20around%20the%20edges. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rough around the edges,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rough%20around%20the%20edges.
Source: rough around the edges on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.