in the rough

English

Prepositional phrase

in the rough

1. In an unwrought, unrefined, or unfinished condition; unpolished.

   an artist's sketch in the rough

   • 1856, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “Sixth Book”, in Aurora Leigh, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1857, →OCLC:

     contemplating the people in the rough

Derived terms

• diamond in the rough

Further reading

• “in the rough”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.