crude
krood
Crude (adj) means In a raw, natural, or unrefined state. Example: “The factory ships crude rubber abroad, where it is made into tyres.”
adj
1
In a raw, natural, or unrefined state.
"The factory ships crude rubber abroad, where it is made into tyres."
"Crude sugar is brown and has not yet been refined."
"Crude oil is refined into petrol, diesel, and other products."
2
Roughly made, simple, or lacking sophistication.
"He drew a crude map of the village on the back of an envelope."
"The boys made a crude raft from planks and empty barrels."
"They built a crude shelter out of branches and tarpaulin."
3
Vulgar or lacking tact, especially in language or humour.
"Please don't make crude remarks at the dinner table in front of the children."
"The comedian lost part of his audience with a few crude gags."
"His crude jokes made the whole table uncomfortable."
How to use crude
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUnrefined — whether that means unprocessed oil, a rough homemade object, or tasteless humour.
Common pairings
crude oil
crude joke
crude estimate
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Word forms
- Comparative
- cruder
- Superlative
- crudest
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The factory ships _____ rubber abroad, where it is made into tyres.
Etymology
From Latin crūdus ("raw, uncooked"), the same root as "raw" itself.
Synonyms
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coarse
vulgar
raw
unprocessed
makeshift
crass
garagelike
primitive
rough
rude
rudimental
rudimentary
Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for crude
See all rhymes for crude →Frequently asked questions
What does “crude” mean?
The word “crude” means in a raw, natural, or unrefined state. In plain terms, unrefined — whether that means unprocessed oil, a rough homemade object, or tasteless humour.
How do you pronounce “crude”?
“Crude” is pronounced krood (/kɹuːd/ in IPA).
How do you use “crude” in a sentence?
Here is “crude” used in a sentence: “Crude oil is refined into petrol, diesel, and other products.”
What is another word for “crude”?
Words with a similar meaning to “crude” include garagelike, primitive, rough, rude, rudimental and rudimentary.
What is the opposite of “crude”?
The opposite of “crude” — its antonyms — are advanced, developed, refined and sophisticated.
What part of speech is “crude”?
“Crude” is an adjective.
Where does the word “crude” come from?
The word “crude” comes from Latin. From Latin crūdus ("raw, uncooked"), the same root as "raw" itself.
Is “crude” a common word?
“Crude” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the C1 level.
What is the difference between crude and rude?
Crude describes something raw, roughly made, or vulgar in style, while rude primarily means impolite or disrespectful towards people. A crude joke is coarse or tasteless; a rude remark is bad-mannered. The words overlap when describing vulgar behaviour, but rude centres on lack of courtesy.
Why is unrefined oil called crude oil?
Because crude means in a raw, natural, unrefined state. Crude oil is petroleum as it comes out of the ground, before it is processed into fuels and other products, and in the oil industry the noun "crude" on its own is standard shorthand for it.
What is the difference between crude and vulgar?
Both can describe offensive language or humour, but vulgar focuses on indecency or bad taste, while crude also suggests something rough, unpolished, and lacking tact. Crude has additional neutral senses that vulgar does not share — a crude sketch is simply rough, and crude oil is simply unrefined.
Is calling something crude an insult?
It depends on the sense. Describing a tool, model, or estimate as crude just means it is rough, simple, or unsophisticated, with no moral judgement. Calling a person's language or humour crude, however, criticises it as vulgar and lacking tact.
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