Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

roughneck

[ruhf-nek] / ˈrʌfˌnɛk /
NOUN
tough person
Synonyms


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.

See Examples For:

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

A brash roughneck with a golden heart, Bill inspires Trina’s puppy-like devotion.

From New York Times Apr. 16, 2024

They will continue getting pushed around and will not be getting through the roughneck, larger teams in their division when it matters down the stretch, and you can forget about any lengthy playoff stays.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 14, 2023

In “Stillwater,” Matt Damon plays Bill Baker, an Oklahoma roughneck who works on oil rigs by day and prays before his fast-food dinner at night.

From Washington Post Jul. 28, 2021

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




Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training