roughneck

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In “Crazy About a Mercury,” a man says of his roughneck wife, “I thought she was slapping herself in the face in the bar where we met, but it was how she eats peanuts.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Syms grew up in Altadena, a quiet town abutting the mountains east of Los Angeles known as a retreat for roughneck millionaires and an enclave for the Black middle class.

From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2022

Cruise often appeared on “Twin Peaks,” singing in its biker bar, the Roadhouse, her soft and gentle presence providing a compelling contrast to the roughneck setting.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2022

“What probably appealed to Alaskans as much as anything was his roughneck character,” Ornstein added in an interview.

From Washington Post • Mar. 18, 2022

The people around us were hard-working, boisterous, a little proud of their nickname, yo-go-re, which meant literally uncouth one, or roughneck, or dead-end kid.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston