roughest
Least smooth surface
Roughest is the superlative of rough—the most uneven, harsh, or difficult among those compared.
A surface can be the roughest to touch, a neighborhood the roughest in town, or a stretch of sea the roughest a sailor has encountered: That was the roughest crossing of my career.
The word applies to physical texture, difficulty, or treatment: He gave me the roughest time about being late.
Rough in texture
- grittyCoarse or courageous
- sandpaperAbrasive-coated finishing material
- unevenNot smooth or balanced
- jaggedSharply uneven, notched
bumpy · scratchy · abrasive · grainy · pebbled · bristly · stubble · burlap
Most unrefined or rough
- rawestSuperlative of unprocessed
- unpolishedLacking finish or refinement
- unfinishedNot yet complete
- rudimentaryIn simplest possible form
sketchy · draft · coarse · basic · makeshift · improvised · bare-bones · preliminary
Most difficult or resilient
- hardestSuperlative of tough
- gruelingExtremely tiring and demanding
- demandingRequiring great effort
- challengingHard to accomplish
strenuous · formidable · punishing · brutal · taxing · exhausting · treacherous · harrowing
Most harsh or strict
- cruelestMost deliberately unkind
- mercilessShowing no clemency
- unforgivingShowing no leniency
- punishingExtremely taxing or severe
pitiless · ruthless · inclement · hostile · bleak · bitter · extreme · relentless
Most unrestrained or extreme
- roughhousingRowdy physical play
- rowdiestSuperlatively loud and disorderly
- tumultuousViolently agitated or disturbed
- unrulyDifficult to control
raucous · scrappy · brawling · wrestling · scuffling · tussling · rambunctious · physical
coarse
Rough in texture
jagged · bumpy · scratchy · abrasive · grainy · pebbled · bristly · stubble · burlap · gravel
crudest
Most unrefined or rough
- rawestSuperlative of unprocessed
- unpolishedLacking finish or refinement
- unfinishedNot yet complete
rudimentary · sketchy · draft · coarse · basic · makeshift · improvised · bare-bones · preliminary · approximate
toughest
Most difficult or resilient
challenging · strenuous · formidable · punishing · brutal · taxing · exhausting · treacherous · harrowing · backbreaking
severest
Most harsh or strict
- cruelestMost deliberately unkind
- mercilessShowing no clemency
- unforgivingShowing no leniency
punishing · pitiless · ruthless · inclement · hostile · bleak · bitter · extreme · relentless · unsparing
wildest
Most unrestrained or extreme
- roughhousingRowdy physical play
- rowdiestSuperlatively loud and disorderly
- tumultuousViolently agitated or disturbed
unruly · raucous · scrappy · brawling · wrestling · scuffling · tussling · rambunctious · physical · contact
- roughed upInjured through aggression
- roughen upMake less smooth
- rougher around the edgesLess refined, more unpolished
- roughest around the edgesLacking polish to greatest degree