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rude

Syllabification: (rude)
Pronunciation: /ro͞od/

Translate rude | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of rude

adjective

  • 1offensively impolite or ill-mannered:she had been rude to her boss [with infinitive]:it’s rude to ask a lady her age
  • referring to a taboo subject such as sex in a way considered improper and offensive:he made a rude gesture
  • [attributive] having a startling abruptness:the war came as a very rude awakening
  • 2roughly made or done; lacking subtlety or sophistication:a rude coffin
  • archaic ignorant and uneducated:the new religion was first promulgated by rude men
  • 3 [attributive] chiefly British vigorous or hearty:Isabel had always been in rude health

Derivatives

rudely

adverb

rudery

Pronunciation: /-ərē/

noun

Origin:

Middle English (rude (sense 2), also 'uncultured'): from Old French, from Latin rudis 'unwrought' (referring to handicraft), figuratively 'uncultivated'; related to rudus 'broken stone'

rude in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of rude in the British & World English dictionary