1
: being in a rough, unsmoothed, or unfinished state : crudely formed
rough-hewn beams
2
: lacking refinement
he was rather attractive, in a rough-hewn kind of wayJan Speas

Examples of rough-hewn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There’s stealth in Garrone’s approach: for the most part, the story sticks to a low-key, rough-hewn verisimilitude. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Despite this, there’s a rough-hewn beauty to much of the earthy image-making, with Gonneville’s distinctive camerawork matched by lighting and location teams. Catherine Bray, Variety, 22 Feb. 2024 His small-scale replica paid homage to the shop, which closed in 2021, featuring the same rough-hewn yellow facade and lilliputian reach-in refrigerators with tiny cans of Mello Yello, cartons of milk and cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 31 Jan. 2024 Huma Bhabha David Zwirner (February 22–April 6) Bhabha’s rough-hewn, totemic sculptures depict demons, deities, and warning spirits. Vulture, 3 Jan. 2024 After the death of her husband, a ruthless Australian cattle baron, King Carney (Bryan Brown), plots to take her land, so Lady Ashley reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle drover (Hugh Jackman) to protect her ranch. Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 26 Nov. 2023 The most beautiful physical object is surely the casting mold for a sculpture of the rind of an enormous winter squash, presented as a reliquary atop a rough-hewn altar, that was the centerpiece of an uninhibited 1971 performance. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023 That is, of course, the plot of Eat, Pray, Love: a 2006 memoir that happened to be published at the same time as Sienna Miller was wearing coin belts and peasant skirts and rough-hewn turquoise rings. Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2023 In Arnulfo Maldonado’s rough-hewn set, the house is a mossy cabin, lit with lanterns, set among tall, shadowy trees. Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rough-hewn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rough-hewn was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near rough-hewn

Cite this Entry

“Rough-hewn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rough-hewn. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rough-hewn

adjective
ˈrəf-ˈhyün
1
: being rough or unfinished
rough-hewn beams
2
: lacking smooth manners or social grace
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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