Thesaurus
rude
adjective
Synonyms and Antonyms of RUDE
1
hastily or roughly constructed <a rude shelter built from unfinished logs by some forgotten pioneer>
Synonyms artless, clumsy, crude, jerry-built, jerry-rigged, jury-rigged, rough, rough-and-ready, rough-and-tumble, rough-hewn, unrefined
Related Words defective, faulty, flawed, imperfect; imprecise, inexact; inartistic, undressed, unfinished, unpolished, unworked; amateur, amateurish, inexpert, unprofessional, unskilled, unskillful; primitive, rudimentary; unshaped, unshapen
Near Antonyms faultless, finished, flawless, meticulous, perfect, perfected, polished, well-done; adept, adroit, dexterous (also dextrous), expert, masterful, masterly, neat, practiced (also practised), skillful, workmanlike; artful, artistic, sophisticated; exact, precise
Antonyms refined
2
belonging to or characteristic of an early level of skill or development <rude stone tools>
Related Words basic, simple, uncomplicated; homely, homespun, unsophisticated; early, embryonic, primeval, primordial; backward, underdeveloped, undeveloped; aged, ancient, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, dated, fusty, hoary, musty, obsolete, old, oldfangled, old-fashioned, old-time, out-of-date, outworn, passé, past, quaint, unmodernized
Near Antonyms complex, complicated, intricate, involved, sophisticated; full-blown, grown, mature, matured, perfected, ripe, ripened; civilized, cultivated, enlightened, refined; contemporary, current, latest, mod, modern, modernistic, new, newfangled, new-fashioned, novel, now, present-day, space-age, state-of-the-art, supermodern, ultramodern, up-to-date
3
lacking in refinement or good taste <a comedian who uses a lot of rude language in his nightclub act>
Synonyms common, crass, crude, gross, ill-bred, illiberal [archaic], incult, insensible, low, lowbred, lowbrow, raffish, rough, rough-hewn, roughneck, rude, rugged, tasteless, uncouth, uncultivated, uncultured, unpolished, unrefined, vulgar
Related Words boorish, churlish, cloddish, clownish, loutish, ungentlemanly; clumsy, lubberly, lumpish, oafish; inconsiderate, indelicate, insensitive, thoughtless; countrified (also countryfied), provincial, rustic (also rustical), unsophisticated; graceless, inelegant, tacky; animallike, barbaric, barbarous, uncivilized; mannerless, unmannered, unmannerly
Near Antonyms aristocratic, courtly, patrician; elegant, graceful, restrained; considerate, gracious, sensitive, thoughtful; citified, sophisticated, urbane
Antonyms civilized, cultivated, cultured, genteel, polished, refined, smooth, tasteful, ultrarefined, well-bred
4
not civilized <missionaries who believed that it was their duty to convert the rude peoples of the world>
Synonyms barbarian, barbaric, barbarous, heathen, heathenish, natural, Neanderthal (or Neandertal), rude, uncivil, uncivilized, uncultivated, wild
Near Antonyms cultured, enlightened, humane, sophisticated; genteel, polished, polite, refined, urbane, well-bred; semicivilized
Antonyms civilized
5
showing a lack of manners or consideration for others <it's rude to call someone “ugly”>
Synonyms discourteous, disrespectful, ill-bred, ill-mannered, impertinent, inconsiderate, rude, thoughtless, uncalled-for, uncivil, ungracious, unhandsome, unmannered, unmannerly
Related Words arch, audacious, bold, bold-faced, brash, brassy, brazen, cheeky, fresh, impudent, insolent, lippy, sassy, saucy, shameless; boorish, caddish, churlish, clownish, loutish, uncouth, vulgar; abrupt, blunt, brusque (also brusk), crusty, curt, gruff, sharp, snippety, snippy; antisocial, crabbed, cross, disagreeable, grumpy, sullen, surly; improper, incorrect, indecent, indecorous, unseemly; arrogant, bumptious, conceited, haughty, high-handed, imperious, peremptory, pompous, presumptuous, pretentious, supercilious, superior
Near Antonyms humble, meek, modest, unassertive; deferential, dutiful, respectful, submissive, yielding; acceptable, appropriate, becoming, befitting, correct, decent, decorous, fit, fitting, good, meet, proper, respectable, right, seemly, suitable; affable, cordial, friendly, genial, hospitable, sociable; felicitous, graceful; chivalrous, courtly, gallant; ceremonious; elegant, refined
6
lacking in education or the knowledge gained from books <rude hillbillies they might have been, but they produced music with real poignancy>
Synonyms analphabetic, benighted, dark, illiterate, nonliterate, rude, simple, uneducated, uninstructed, unlearned, unlettered, unread, unschooled, untaught, untutored
Related Words functionally illiterate, innumerate, semiliterate, unknowledgeable; artless, lowbrow, philistine, uncultivated, uncultured; callow, green, inexperienced, innocent, naive (or naïve); unsophisticated; raw, unskilled, untrained; brainless, dumb, idiotic (also idiotical), imbecile (or imbecilic), moronic, stupid, witless; foolish, senseless, silly
Near Antonyms brilliant, intelligent, smart; experienced, expert, trained; erudite, learned, polyhistoric, polymath (or polymathic), scholarly; cultivated, cultured, highbrow, intellectual; sophisticated; acquainted, aware, familiar
7
being such as found in nature and not altered by processing or refining <rude pelts that were sent to Europe to be fashioned into elegant hats and coats>
Related Words undeveloped; rough-hewn, semifinished, unfinished, unpolished; uncooked; impure, unfiltered
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up rude? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).