- 1(of skin or cloth) rough coarse hands/linen opposite smooth, soft
- 2consisting of relatively large pieces coarse sand/salt/hair opposite fine
- 3rude and offensive, especially about sex synonym vulgar coarse manners/laughter See related entries: Describing unpleasant traits Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘ordinary or inferior’): origin uncertain; until the 17th cent. identical in spelling with course, and possibly derived from the latter in the sense ‘ordinary manner’.Extra examples She looked at the boy’s coarse hands and heavy boots. The coarse sand produces soils which are very free-draining. The dog was a great staghound with long coarse hair. The monks wore coarse linen habits.
coarse
adjectiveBrE BrE//kɔːs//; NAmE NAmE//kɔːrs//
(coarser, coarsest) Describing unpleasant traitsCheck pronunciation: coarse
