60 Idioms for Rough in English (With Meanings & Examples)

1. A rough patch

Meaning

In short: A difficult period.

In detail: Neutral, gentle and extremely common. It is the standard way to describe difficulty in a marriage, a business or a life, and it quietly promises the difficulty is temporary.

Examples in a sentence

• They are going through a rough patch.
• The business hit a rough patch in the spring.
• Everyone has a rough patch now and then.

Other ways to say it: a bad spell, a rocky period, a difficult time.

2. A rough ride

Meaning

In short: A difficult, uncomfortable experience.

In detail: Neutral, and it is often about how other people treat you. To “give someone a rough ride” is to make things hard for them deliberately.

Examples in a sentence

• The minister had a rough ride in the interview.
• The committee gave him a rough ride.
• We are in for a rough ride this quarter.

Other ways to say it: a hard time, a bumpy ride, a difficult run.

3. Have a rough time of it

Meaning

In short: Be going through real difficulty.

In detail: Sympathetic and gentle. It is the phrase you use about someone else, kindly, when you do not want to name what is wrong.

Examples in a sentence

• She has had a rough time of it lately.
• Be patient with him. He is having a rough time of it.
• They had a rough time of it after the shop closed.

Other ways to say it: go through it, have a hard time, be struggling.

4. A rough deal

Meaning

In short: Unfair treatment.

In detail: Neutral and indignant. It says the outcome was not deserved, so it is a complaint on someone’s behalf.

Examples in a sentence

• Carers get a rough deal in this country.
• He got a rough deal from that company.
• It is a rough deal, and nobody is doing anything about it.

Other ways to say it: a raw deal, unfair treatment, a bad hand.

5. The rough end of the stick

Meaning

In short: The worse part of an arrangement.

In detail: British and informal. The American version is “the short end of the stick”, and both mean you came off badly.

Examples in a sentence

• The junior staff got the rough end of the stick, as usual.
• She always ends up with the rough end of the stick.
• We got the short end of the stick on that deal.

Other ways to say it: the short end of the stick, a raw deal, the worst of it.

6. Take the rough with the smooth

Meaning

In short: Accept the bad parts along with the good.

In detail: British, neutral and philosophical. It is one of the most useful phrases in this article, because it describes maturity rather than complaint.

Examples in a sentence

• Self-employment is like this. You take the rough with the smooth.
• She takes the rough with the smooth and never complains.
• You have to take the rough with the smooth in any marriage.

Other ways to say it: accept the good and the bad, that is life, roll with it.

7. Rough justice

Meaning

In short: A punishment or outcome that is fair in spirit but not in process.

In detail: Neutral and slightly uneasy. It usually means the result was roughly right, and the way it was reached was not.

Examples in a sentence

• Losing the contract was rough justice after how they behaved.
• It was rough justice, but few people complained.
• The verdict felt like rough justice.

Other ways to say it: poetic justice, a fair outcome unfairly reached, karma.

8. In rough waters

Meaning

In short: In a difficult, unstable situation.

In detail: Neutral and nautical, and common about businesses and relationships. It suggests the trouble is external and ongoing.

Examples in a sentence

• The company is in rough waters.
• The negotiations hit rough waters in week three.
• We are in rough waters and nobody is panicking yet.

Other ways to say it: in choppy waters, in trouble, on shaky ground.

9. Rough and tumble

Meaning

In short: Disorderly, competitive and a little violent.

In detail: Neutral and descriptive. It is used about children’s play, sport and politics, and it accepts a certain amount of chaos as normal.

Examples in a sentence

• The rough and tumble of daily politics.
• He enjoyed the rough and tumble of the trading floor.
• Two boys and a dog in a small house is all rough and tumble.

Other ways to say it: the cut and thrust, a scrap, a free-for-all.

10. Cut up rough

Meaning

In short: React angrily and awkwardly.

In detail: British, informal and slightly old-fashioned. It is what somebody does when they refuse to accept something quietly.

Examples in a sentence

• He cut up rough when they asked him to leave.
• She might cut up rough about the new hours.
• I did not expect them to cut up rough over a parking space.

Other ways to say it: kick off, turn nasty, make a scene.

11. Rough around the edges

Meaning

In short: Not yet polished, but basically good.

In detail: A mild criticism with warmth in it. It is used about people, work and products, and it means the substance is there and the finish is not.

Examples in a sentence

• The presentation is rough around the edges, but the idea is strong.
• He is a bit rough around the edges and very good at his job.
• The first draft was rough around the edges, as first drafts are.

Other ways to say it: unpolished, needs work, unrefined.

12. A rough diamond

Meaning

In short: A person of real quality with unpolished manners.

In detail: British and a genuine compliment, which is what separates it from “rough around the edges”. The American version is “a diamond in the rough”. It says the value is real, and the surface is misleading.

Examples in a sentence

• He is a rough diamond. Ignore the manner and listen to the man.
• She is a diamond in the rough and she will go far.
• The team is full of rough diamonds.

Other ways to say it: a diamond in the rough, an unpolished gem, better than he looks.

13. Rough and ready

Meaning

In short: Simple and unrefined, but good enough to work.

In detail: Neutral and practical, and often admiring. It describes a solution that is not elegant and does the job.

Examples in a sentence

• It is a rough and ready fix, but it will hold until Monday.
• The kitchen is rough and ready and the food is superb.
• We put together a rough and ready plan in an hour.

Other ways to say it: basic but functional, makeshift, good enough.

14. A rough draft

Meaning

In short: A first, unfinished version of a piece of writing.

In detail: Neutral and universal. Everybody writes one, and the phrase gives you permission for it to be bad.

Examples in a sentence

• I have a rough draft ready for you to look at.
• The rough draft was terrible, and the final one was not.
• Send me the rough draft, not the polished version.

Other ways to say it: a first draft, a working version, a rough copy.

15. A rough sketch

Meaning

In short: A quick, unfinished drawing or plan.

In detail: Neutral, and used literally about drawings and figuratively about plans and proposals.

Examples in a sentence

• He did a rough sketch on the back of an envelope.
• Give me a rough sketch of the structure.
• The architect brought a rough sketch to the first meeting.

Other ways to say it: an outline, a rough plan, a first pass.

16. In the rough

Meaning

In short: In an unfinished or natural state.

In detail: Neutral, and also a golf term for the long grass beside the fairway. Both meanings are alive, so context matters.

Examples in a sentence

• The stone is still in the rough.
• His ball was in the rough for the third time.
• The idea is in the rough and it is promising.

Other ways to say it: unfinished, raw, unrefined.

17. Knock something into shape

Meaning

In short: Turn something rough into something usable.

In detail: Informal and practical. It is what you do to a rough draft, a rough plan or a disorganised team.

Examples in a sentence

• Give me a week and I will knock it into shape.
• She knocked the whole department into shape in a month.
• The draft needs knocking into shape before Friday.

Other ways to say it: lick it into shape, tidy it up, sort it out.

18. A rough idea

Meaning

In short: An approximate understanding.

In detail: Neutral and extremely common, and it is the polite way to ask for information without demanding precision.

Examples in a sentence

• Give me a rough idea of the cost.
• I have a rough idea of what he wants.
• Do you have a rough idea when it will be ready?

Other ways to say it: a rough estimate, an approximate figure, a ballpark.

19. A rough estimate

Meaning

In short: An approximate calculation.

In detail: Neutral and semi-formal, common in business and building work. It protects the person giving it, because they have said it is rough.

Examples in a sentence

• At a rough estimate, three thousand pounds.
• The rough estimate turned out to be optimistic.
• Can you give me a rough estimate by Friday?

Other ways to say it: a ballpark figure, an approximation, a rough guess.

20. A rough guess

Meaning

In short: An answer based on very little information.

In detail: Informal and honest. It admits you are guessing, which is what makes it safe.

Examples in a sentence

• At a rough guess, about two hundred people.
• That is a rough guess, not a promise.
• If I had to make a rough guess, I would say Tuesday.

Other ways to say it: a rough estimate, an educated guess, a stab in the dark.

21. Roughly speaking

Meaning

In short: Approximately, in general terms.

In detail: Neutral and useful, and it works as a phrase to open a sentence when precision is not possible.

Examples in a sentence

• Roughly speaking, we are halfway there.
• Roughly speaking, it doubled.
• Roughly speaking, they all say the same thing.

Other ways to say it: more or less, approximately, broadly.

22. A ballpark figure

Meaning

In short: An approximate number.

In detail: American and informal, from baseball, and now standard in business everywhere. It is the phrase to use in a meeting when a rough number will do.

Examples in a sentence

• Give me a ballpark figure.
• Fifty thousand is the ballpark.
• We are in the right ballpark.

Other ways to say it: a rough estimate, an approximate figure, a rough idea.

23. Feel rough

Meaning

In short: Feel physically unwell.

In detail: British and informal, and often, though not always, about a hangover. It is about the body, not the mood.

Examples in a sentence

• I feel rough this morning.
• She was feeling rough, so she went home early.
• He felt rough for three days after the flight.

Other ways to say it: feel awful, feel terrible, be under the weather.

24. Look rough

Meaning

In short: Look unwell or exhausted.

In detail: British and informal, and blunt. It is what a friend says to you and never what a colleague should.

Examples in a sentence

• You look rough. Did you sleep at all?
• He looked rough all week.
• I looked rough and I felt worse.

Other ways to say it: look terrible, look shattered, look like death warmed up.

25. A rough night

Meaning

In short: A night of bad sleep or difficulty.

In detail: Neutral and safe. This is the phrase the student in the introduction needed. It means you slept badly, and it says nothing about where you slept.

Examples in a sentence

• Sorry, I had a rough night. The baby was up four times.
• After a rough night, the coffee is not optional.
• She had a rough night in hospital and is stable now.

Other ways to say it: a bad night, a sleepless night, a hard night.

26. The worse for wear

Meaning

In short: Tired, damaged or slightly drunk.

In detail: British and gently comic. It works for people and for objects, and it is a kind way to describe someone who has had a long night.

Examples in a sentence

• He arrived slightly the worse for wear.
• The sofa is looking the worse for wear.
• We were all a bit worse for wear on Sunday morning.

Other ways to say it: rough, battered, a bit tired and emotional.

27. Sleep rough

Meaning

In short: Sleep outside, because you have nowhere to live.

In detail: The trap. This is the standard British term for homelessness. It does not mean sleeping badly, and using it that way will genuinely alarm the person you are talking to.

Examples in a sentence

• He slept rough for two winters before the charity found him a room.
• The number of people sleeping rough has risen again.
• Nobody should have to sleep rough in this weather.

Other ways to say it: be homeless, be on the streets, be a rough sleeper.

28. Rough someone up

Meaning

In short: Attack someone physically, without seriously injuring them.

In detail: Informal and violent, and common in crime films. It is a real threat, not a joke.

Examples in a sentence

• They roughed him up in the car park.
• He was roughed up and warned to keep quiet.
• Nobody was seriously hurt, but he was roughed up badly.

Other ways to say it: beat someone up, knock someone about, manhandle.

29. Ride roughshod over someone

Meaning

In short: Treat someone or something with complete disregard.

In detail: Formal and strongly critical. It describes trampling over people’s rights, objections or feelings, and it is a serious accusation.

Examples in a sentence

• Management rode roughshod over every objection.
• The reforms ride roughshod over local opinion.
• He rides roughshod over anyone who disagrees.

Other ways to say it: trample over, steamroller, ignore completely.

30. Play rough

Meaning

In short: Compete or behave without regard for fairness.

In detail: Informal, and it can be literal in sport or figurative in business and politics.

Examples in a sentence

• They play rough in that market.
• If they want to play rough, we can play rough.
• The other side played rough and it worked.

Other ways to say it: play dirty, fight dirty, take the gloves off.

31. A rough neighbourhood

Meaning

In short: An area with crime and poverty.

In detail: Neutral in form and loaded in practice. Be careful, because it can sound snobbish, and it is often said by people who do not live there.

Examples in a sentence

• It is a rough neighbourhood, and the people are kind.
• She grew up in a rough neighbourhood and never romanticises it.
• The estate has a rough reputation it does not entirely deserve.

Other ways to say it: a tough area, a deprived area, a difficult part of town.

32. A roughneck

Meaning

In short: A tough, uncultured, physically strong person.

In detail: Informal and American in origin, and it is also the job title for an oil-rig worker. Used about a person, it is not entirely a compliment.

Examples in a sentence

• He worked as a roughneck in Texas for a decade.
• A crew of roughnecks and one accountant.
• He is a roughneck with a doctorate.

Other ways to say it: a tough guy, a hard man, a bruiser.

33. Go through the wringer

Meaning

In short: Endure a punishing, exhausting experience.

In detail: Vivid and sympathetic, from an old washing machine that squeezed clothes flat. It suggests you came out the other side, drained.

Examples in a sentence

• She has been through the wringer this year.
• The interview process put me through the wringer.
• He has been through the wringer and he is still standing.

Other ways to say it: go through it, be put through the mill, have a hard time.

34. An uphill battle

Meaning

In short: A struggle that is difficult all the way through.

In detail: Neutral and common. It says the difficulty is structural, not temporary, and that you may still win.

Examples in a sentence

• Getting the funding approved was an uphill battle.
• She faces an uphill battle to keep the seat.
• It is an uphill struggle, and we are climbing.

Other ways to say it: an uphill struggle, a hard slog, a tough fight.

35. A bumpy ride

Meaning

In short: A difficult process with plenty of problems.

In detail: Neutral and often used as a warning about what is coming. It suggests the destination is still reachable.

Examples in a sentence

• Brace yourself. It is going to be a bumpy ride.
• The first year was a bumpy ride.
• It was a bumpy ride, and we landed.

Other ways to say it: a rough ride, a rocky road, a difficult stretch.

36. A bump in the road

Meaning

In short: A small, temporary setback.

In detail: Neutral and reassuring, and often used to make a problem sound smaller than it is. Politicians love it.

Examples in a sentence

• It is a bump in the road, not a disaster.
• Every project hits a few bumps in the road.
• They called a fifty per cent drop a bump in the road.

Other ways to say it: a setback, a hiccup, a blip.

37. A rocky road

Meaning

In short: A difficult path with a lot of trouble along it.

In detail: Neutral and slightly literary, and it describes a long journey rather than a single event.

Examples in a sentence

• It has been a rocky road to recovery.
• The company has had a rocky road since the merger.
• They took a rocky road and got there.

Other ways to say it: a bumpy ride, a hard road, an uphill struggle.

38. Weather the storm

Meaning

In short: Survive a difficult period.

In detail: Neutral and admiring. It emphasises endurance rather than victory, and it is common in business writing.

Examples in a sentence

• The company weathered the storm and came out smaller.
• They weathered the storm together.
• We can weather this storm if we are careful.

Other ways to say it: ride out the storm, come through it, survive it.

39. Ride out the storm

Meaning

In short: Wait for a difficult period to end.

In detail: Neutral, and slightly more passive than “weather the storm”. It suggests holding on rather than fighting.

Examples in a sentence

• We are riding out the storm and hoping for spring.
• He rode out the storm and kept his job.
• Sometimes you just ride it out.

Other ways to say it: weather the storm, sit it out, hold on.

40. A baptism of fire

Meaning

In short: A brutally difficult introduction to something new.

In detail: Neutral and vivid. It describes a first day, week or job that was far harder than it should have been.

Examples in a sentence

• Her first week was a baptism of fire.
• He joined during the crisis. A real baptism of fire.
• It was a baptism of fire and it taught me everything.

Other ways to say it: trial by fire, thrown in at the deep end, a brutal start.

41. Thrown in at the deep end

Meaning

In short: Given a difficult task with no preparation.

In detail: Neutral and common, from learning to swim. It usually describes what somebody else did to you.

Examples in a sentence

• I was thrown in at the deep end on day one.
• They throw new staff in at the deep end and see who swims.
• Being thrown in at the deep end is how I learned.

Other ways to say it: a baptism of fire, dropped in it, given no training.

42. Take a beating

Meaning

In short: Suffer heavy damage or defeat.

In detail: Informal and figurative more often than literal. It is used about businesses, reputations and confidence.

Examples in a sentence

• Our share price took a beating.
• His confidence has taken a beating.
• The team took a beating and learned from it.

Other ways to say it: take a hit, take a battering, get hammered.

43. Between a rock and a hard place

Meaning

In short: Faced with two equally bad options.

In detail: Neutral and extremely common. It describes a situation with no good way out, and it is a genuine sympathy phrase.

Examples in a sentence

• I am between a rock and a hard place. Either way, somebody loses.
• The board is between a rock and a hard place.
• She was caught between a rock and a hard place and chose the rock.

Other ways to say it: in a no-win situation, caught both ways, damned if you do.

44. Up against it

Meaning

In short: Facing serious difficulty.

In detail: British and informal. It is understated, and it usually means the difficulty is worse than the speaker is letting on.

Examples in a sentence

• We are really up against it this month.
• She is up against it with the deadline.
• They were up against it from the start.

Other ways to say it: under pressure, struggling, up against the wall.

45. Have your back against the wall

Meaning

In short: Be in a position with no room to retreat.

In detail: Neutral and tense, and it usually precedes a fight. It suggests the person will now do something drastic.

Examples in a sentence

• With his back against the wall, he finally told the truth.
• Their backs are against the wall.
• People fight hardest with their backs against the wall.

Other ways to say it: be cornered, be out of options, be up against it.

46. Tough it out

Meaning

In short: Endure something difficult until it passes.

In detail: Informal and stoic. It means you will not quit and you will not enjoy it.

Examples in a sentence

• We toughed it out for another six months.
• She toughed it out and finished the race.
• Sometimes you just tough it out.

Other ways to say it: stick it out, grit your teeth, see it through.

47. Hang in there

Meaning

In short: Keep going through a difficult time.

In detail: Informal and warm. It is one of the kindest things you can say to somebody struggling, and it asks nothing of them but survival.

Examples in a sentence

• Hang in there. It gets easier.
• She is hanging in there.
• Hang in there. You are nearly through it.

Other ways to say it: keep going, stay strong, stick with it.

48. Bite the bullet

Meaning

In short: Do the difficult thing you have been avoiding.

In detail: Neutral and decisive, from surgery without anaesthetic. It describes accepting pain in order to move forward.

Examples in a sentence

• I bit the bullet and handed in my notice.
• We had to bite the bullet and cut the budget.
• Bite the bullet and call her.

Other ways to say it: grasp the nettle, face it, take the plunge.

49. Take it on the chin

Meaning

In short: Accept bad news or criticism without complaining.

In detail: British and admiring, from boxing. It is a compliment about dignity under pressure.

Examples in a sentence

• He took the criticism on the chin.
• She took it on the chin and got back to work.
• Take it on the chin and move on.

Other ways to say it: accept it gracefully, take the hit, face it.

50. Grit your teeth

Meaning

In short: Force yourself through something unpleasant.

In detail: Neutral and physical. It describes determination with no pleasure in it.

Examples in a sentence

• I gritted my teeth and finished the meeting.
• We gritted our teeth and got through the winter.
• She gritted her teeth and said nothing.

Other ways to say it: tough it out, bear it, push through.

51. Come out the other side

Meaning

In short: Survive a difficult period and reach the end of it.

In detail: Neutral and hopeful. It is what you say to someone in the middle of something terrible.

Examples in a sentence

• You will come out the other side. Everyone does.
• We came out the other side, changed.
• She has come out the other side and she is stronger.

Other ways to say it: get through it, make it through, survive it.

52. Through thick and thin

Meaning

In short: Through good times and bad, without leaving.

In detail: Warm and loyal, and almost always about relationships. It is a compliment to whoever stayed.

Examples in a sentence

• She stood by him through thick and thin.
• They have supported this club through thick and thin.
• Friends through thick and thin.

Other ways to say it: in good times and bad, no matter what, come what may.

53. Keep your chin up

Meaning

In short: Stay brave in a difficult time.

In detail: Warm and encouraging, and safe with almost anyone.

Examples in a sentence

• Keep your chin up. Something will turn up.
• Chin up. It is not over yet.
• She kept her chin up through all of it.

Other ways to say it: hang in there, stay strong, keep going.

54. Turn a corner

Meaning

In short: Begin to improve after a bad period.

In detail: Neutral and hopeful. It marks the first sign of recovery, not the end of it.

Examples in a sentence

• We have turned a corner. The numbers are up.
• He has turned a corner since the treatment.
• The business turned a corner last year.

Other ways to say it: be on the mend, be over the worst, start to improve.

55. Get back on your feet

Meaning

In short: Recover after a serious setback.

In detail: Neutral and practical, and it usually involves money, health or both.

Examples in a sentence

• It took two years to get back on our feet.
• The loan helped him get back on his feet.
• She is back on her feet and working again.

Other ways to say it: recover, rebuild, get going again.

56. When the going gets tough, the tough get going

Meaning

In short: Strong people work hardest when things are hardest.

In detail: A saying, motivational and slightly worn. It is common from coaches and managers, and it can grate on someone who is genuinely struggling.

Examples in a sentence

• When the going gets tough, the tough get going, he said, unhelpfully.
• This is the moment. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
• She lives by it. When the going gets tough, she gets going.

Other ways to say it: dig deep, step up, rise to it.

57. Life is not a bed of roses

Meaning

In short: Life contains difficulty as standard.

In detail: A saying, plain and realistic. It is said to someone who expected things to be easier.

Examples in a sentence

• Life is not a bed of roses. Nobody promised you that.
• It has not been a bed of roses, but we are all right.
• Life is no bed of roses, and it is still good.

Other ways to say it: life is hard, nobody said it would be easy, that is life.

58. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

Meaning

In short: Difficulty builds character.

In detail: A saying, and often quoted at people who did not ask. It is true sometimes and cruel at the wrong moment.

Examples in a sentence

• What does not kill you makes you stronger, apparently.
• She came through it. What does not kill you makes you stronger.
• Do not tell a grieving person that what does not kill them makes them stronger.

Other ways to say it: it builds character, you learn from it, adversity teaches you.

59. Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor

Meaning

In short: You learn from difficulty, not from ease.

In detail: A saying, and one of the better ones, because it credits the struggle without dismissing it.

Examples in a sentence

• That year taught me everything. Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor.
• Smooth seas never made a skilled sailor, and this crew is very skilled indeed.
• She quotes it constantly, and she is right.

Other ways to say it: difficulty teaches you, adversity builds skill, you learn in the storm.

60. Every cloud has a silver lining

Meaning

In short: Something good comes from every difficulty.

In detail: A saying, comforting and a little worn. Like most comfort phrases, it depends entirely on timing, and said too early it irritates.

Examples in a sentence

• She lost the job and found a better one. Every cloud.
• I am still looking for the silver lining on this one.
• Every cloud has a silver lining, apparently.

Other ways to say it: look on the bright side, a blessing in disguise, find the positive.

Tips for Using These Idioms Naturally

• Never confuse a rough night with sleeping rough. I had a rough night means you slept badly. I slept rough means you were homeless. This is the single most important line on this page.

• A rough diamond is a compliment. Rough around the edges is not. The first says the person is genuinely valuable underneath. The second says the work is not finished. They sound like the same idea and they land very differently.

• Rough means approximate more often than you think. A rough idea, a rough estimate, roughly speaking and a ballpark figure are everyday business English, and they have nothing to do with difficulty.

• Feel rough is about your body, not your mood. If you are sad, you are down in the dumps. If you feel rough, you are ill or hungover.

• Watch the region. Feel rough, look rough, cut up rough, the rough end of the stick, up against it and a rough diamond are British. A diamond in the rough, a ballpark figure, the short end of the stick and a roughneck are American.