in the rough
idiom
chiefly US
: in an unfinished or rough state
He admired the beauty of nature in the rough.
Some of the turquoise is polished and some is in the rough.
Examples of in the rough in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The secret of Clallam County’s bellwether status apparently lies in the rough political balance among its three small population centers.
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Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024
The showroom also teaches guests about the local industry, including the discovery of Tanzanite, the emergence of tourmalines, rubies, sapphires, and garnets, and the art of transforming gems in the rough into faceted jewels.
—Jaclyn Trop, Robb Report, 17 Sep. 2024
In 48 games, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound slugger has been an Emerald in the rough, crushing 12 home runs, 11 doubles and 41 RBI.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
The flowers are destroyed in the rough wind, the fragile porcelain animals crack and fall to pieces in the freezing cold.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See all Example Sentences for in the rough 
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2024
The showroom also teaches guests about the local industry, including the discovery of Tanzanite, the emergence of tourmalines, rubies, sapphires, and garnets, and the art of transforming gems in the rough into faceted jewels.
—Jaclyn Trop, Robb Report, 17 Sep. 2024
In 48 games, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound slugger has been an Emerald in the rough, crushing 12 home runs, 11 doubles and 41 RBI.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024
The flowers are destroyed in the rough wind, the fragile porcelain animals crack and fall to pieces in the freezing cold.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See all Example Sentences for in the rough
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in the rough.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“In the rough.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20rough. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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