adj
crass
kras
Crass (adj) means Coarse, crude, or insensitive, showing a lack of tact or refinement. Example: “It was crass of him to joke about the layoffs in front of the people losing their jobs.”
adj
1
Coarse, crude, or insensitive, showing a lack of tact or refinement.
"It was crass of him to joke about the layoffs in front of the people losing their jobs."
"The advert was widely criticized as crass and tasteless."
2
Focused on money or material things in a blunt, unsubtle way.
"She saw the merger as crass commercialism dressed up as charity."
How to use crass
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBlunt, tasteless, and lacking any sense of tact — often about money, jokes, or behavior.
Common mistake
Crass describes behavior or remarks, not a person's intelligence — someone can be crass without being unintelligent.
Common pairings
crass commercialism
a crass remark
crass behavior
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Word forms
- Comparative
- crasser
- Superlative
- crassest
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
It was _____ of him to joke about the layoffs in front of the people losing their jobs.
Etymology
From Latin crassus, "thick" or "dense" — the word originally described physical bulk before it came to mean mentally or socially "thick" (insensitive).
Related words
Rhymes for crass
See all rhymes for crass →Frequently asked questions
What does “crass” mean?
The word “crass” means coarse, crude, or insensitive, showing a lack of tact or refinement. In plain terms, blunt, tasteless, and lacking any sense of tact — often about money, jokes, or behavior.
How do you pronounce “crass”?
“Crass” is pronounced kras (/kɹæs/ in IPA).
How do you use “crass” in a sentence?
Here is “crass” used in a sentence: “It was crass of him to joke about the layoffs in front of the people losing their jobs.”
What part of speech is “crass”?
“Crass” is an adjective.
Where does the word “crass” come from?
The word “crass” comes from Latin. From Latin crassus, "thick" or "dense" — the word originally described physical bulk before it came to mean mentally or socially "thick" (insensitive).
How many meanings does “crass” have?
“Crass” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: coarse, crude, or insensitive, showing a lack of tact or refinement.
