Standard Lemma guide

crude

adj · noun · 16 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • kro͞od
  • /kɹuːd/
  • Scotland: /kɹʉd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -uːd
  • homophone: crewed (except Scotland)
  • CMU ARPABET: K R UW1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

In a natural, untreated state.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • crude oil

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: raw, unrefined, unprocessed, coarse, crude, natural, pure, pristine, unalloyed, unmixed, untouched, untreated, utter

Antonyms: processed, refined

2

adj

Meaning 2

Characterized by simplicity, especially something not carefully or expertly made.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a crude shelter
  • a crude estimate
  • a crude guess

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: primitive, rough, rude, rudimentary

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Lacking concealing elements.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a crude truth

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: obvious, plain, unadorned, undisguised, austere, bare, chaste, inornate, modest, quiet, severe, simple, spartan, unembellished, unextravagant, unornamented, undecked, ungarnished, untrimmed, unvarnished

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Lacking tact or taste.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • a crude remark
  • You shouldn't use such crude language when talking to the bank manager.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: blunt, coarse, earthy, gross, stark, uncultivated, vulgar

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Not adjusted or further analyzed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences, statistics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: raw

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Immature or unripe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: immature, unripe

Antonyms: none provided

7

adj

Meaning 7

Uncooked, raw.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adj

Meaning 8

Pertaining to the uninflected stem of a word.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

Any substance in its natural state.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

Ellipsis of crude oil.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

adjective

Meaning 11

not refined or processed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • unrefined ore
  • crude oil

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unrefined, unprocessed

Antonyms: none provided

12

adjective satellite

Meaning 12

not processed or subjected to analysis

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • raw data
  • the raw cost of production
  • only the crude vital statistics

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: raw

Antonyms: none provided

13

adjective satellite

Meaning 13

conspicuously and tastelessly indecent

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • coarse language
  • a crude joke
  • crude behavior
  • an earthy sense of humor
  • a revoltingly gross expletive
  • a vulgar gesture
  • full of language so vulgar it should have been edited

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: earthy, gross, vulgar

Antonyms: none provided

14

adjective satellite

Meaning 14

belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man
  • primitive movies of the 1890s
  • primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: primitive, rude

Antonyms: none provided

15

adjective satellite

Meaning 15

not carefully or expertly made

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • managed to make a crude splint
  • a crude cabin of logs with bark still on them
  • rough carpentry

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rough

Antonyms: none provided

16

noun

Meaning 16

a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: petroleum, crude oil, rock oil, fossil oil, oil

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fossil fuel, oil

Narrower terms: residual oil, resid

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *krewh2-der. Proto-Italic [Term?] Latin crūdusbor. Middle English crude English crude Doublet of crudo, which was borrowed from Italian, and (more distantly) raw through Proto-Indo-European.

Across languages

Translations

144 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: خَامّ (ḵāmm) — being in a natural state
  • Bulgarian: суро́в (suróv) — being in a natural state
  • Bulgarian: необрабо́тен (neobrabóten) — being in a natural state
  • Catalan: cru — being in a natural state
  • Czech: surový syrový — being in a natural state
  • Dutch: ruw — being in a natural state
  • Dutch: onbewerkt — being in a natural state
  • Dutch: ongeraffineerd — being in a natural state
  • Esperanto: kruda — being in a natural state
  • French: cru — being in a natural state
  • German: roh — being in a natural state
  • Greek: ακατέργαστος (akatérgastos) — being in a natural state
  • Greek: ανεπεξέργαστος (anepexérgastos) — being in a natural state
  • Hebrew: גולמי (golmí) — being in a natural state
  • Hebrew: גולמית (golmít) — being in a natural state
  • Hungarian: nyers — being in a natural state
  • Hungarian: finomítatlan — being in a natural state
  • Ido: kruda — being in a natural state
  • Italian: greggio — being in a natural state
  • Italian: grezzo — being in a natural state
  • Macedonian: су́ров (súrov) — being in a natural state
  • Macedonian: необра́ботен (neobráboten) — being in a natural state
  • Persian: خام (xâm) — being in a natural state
  • Polish: surowy — being in a natural state
  • Polish: nieoczyszczony — being in a natural state
  • Portuguese: cru — being in a natural state
  • Portuguese: bruto — being in a natural state
  • Russian: необрабо́танный (neobrabótannyj) — being in a natural state
  • Russian: сыро́й (syrój) — being in a natural state
  • Spanish: crudo — being in a natural state
  • Swedish: rå — being in a natural state
  • Swedish: grov — being in a natural state
  • Swedish: rå- — being in a natural state
  • Telugu: ముడి (muḍi) — being in a natural state
  • Ottoman Turkish: خام (ham) — being in a natural state
  • Vietnamese: thô — being in a natural state
  • Bulgarian: прост (prost) — characterized by simplicity
  • Bulgarian: груб (grub) — characterized by simplicity
  • Czech: prostý — characterized by simplicity
  • Dutch: onafgewerkt — characterized by simplicity
  • Dutch: rudimentair — characterized by simplicity
  • Dutch: primitief — characterized by simplicity
  • Estonian: rohmakas — characterized by simplicity
  • Estonian: tahumatu — characterized by simplicity
  • Finnish: yksinkertainen — characterized by simplicity
  • German: einfach gestrickt — characterized by simplicity
  • German: schlicht — characterized by simplicity
  • German: grob gezimmert — characterized by simplicity
  • Greek: αδρός (adrós) — characterized by simplicity
  • Hungarian: kezdetleges — characterized by simplicity
  • Ido: kruda — characterized by simplicity
  • Italian: rustico — characterized by simplicity
  • Italian: raffazzonato — characterized by simplicity
  • Latin: crūdus — characterized by simplicity
  • Macedonian: прост (prost) — characterized by simplicity
  • Macedonian: груб (grub) — characterized by simplicity
  • Polish: prymitywny — characterized by simplicity
  • Portuguese: rústico — characterized by simplicity
  • Russian: примити́вный (primitívnyj) — characterized by simplicity
  • Russian: просто́й (prostój) — characterized by simplicity
  • Russian: про́стенький (próstenʹkij) — characterized by simplicity
  • Swedish: enkel — characterized by simplicity
  • Telugu: ముతక (mutaka) — characterized by simplicity
  • Ottoman Turkish: بیاغی (bayağı) — characterized by simplicity
  • Catalan: cru — lacking concealing elements
  • Czech: zřejmý — lacking concealing elements
  • Czech: evidentní — lacking concealing elements
  • Czech: jasný — lacking concealing elements
  • Dutch: naakt — lacking concealing elements
  • French: cru — lacking concealing elements
  • German: nackt — lacking concealing elements
  • German: pur — lacking concealing elements
  • Greek: χονδροειδής (chondroeidís) — lacking concealing elements
  • Ido: kruda — lacking concealing elements
  • Italian: ovvio — lacking concealing elements
  • Italian: crudo — lacking concealing elements
  • Macedonian: ја́вен (jáven) — lacking concealing elements
  • Macedonian: непри́криен (nepríkrien) — lacking concealing elements
  • Plautdietsch: bollboarich — lacking concealing elements
  • Portuguese: cru — lacking concealing elements
  • Russian: я́вный (jávnyj) — lacking concealing elements
  • Russian: неприкры́тый (neprikrýtyj) — lacking concealing elements
  • Spanish: crudo — lacking concealing elements
  • Swedish: ohöljd — lacking concealing elements
  • Swedish: oförblommerad — lacking concealing elements
  • Bulgarian: груб (grub) — lacking tact or taste
  • Catalan: groller — lacking tact or taste
  • Czech: neomalený — lacking tact or taste
  • Danish: rå — lacking tact or taste
  • Danish: grov — lacking tact or taste
  • Danish: skammelig — lacking tact or taste
  • Dutch: ruw — lacking tact or taste
  • Dutch: grof — lacking tact or taste
  • Dutch: smakeloos — lacking tact or taste
  • Dutch: vulgair — lacking tact or taste
  • Finnish: karkea — lacking tact or taste
  • French: vulgaire — lacking tact or taste
  • French: cru — lacking tact or taste
  • German: derb — lacking tact or taste
  • German: krude — lacking tact or taste
  • German: krass — lacking tact or taste
  • German: roh — lacking tact or taste
  • German: grob — lacking tact or taste
  • Greek: άξεστος (áxestos) — lacking tact or taste
  • Hindi: सड़कछाप (saṛakchāp) — lacking tact or taste
  • Hungarian: durva — lacking tact or taste
  • Hungarian: faragatlan — lacking tact or taste
  • Hungarian: nyers — lacking tact or taste
  • Irish: tútach — lacking tact or taste
  • Italian: volgare — lacking tact or taste
  • Italian: crudo — lacking tact or taste
  • Italian: semplice — lacking tact or taste
  • Italian: grezzo — lacking tact or taste
  • Macedonian: груб (grub) — lacking tact or taste
  • Polish: nieokrzesany — lacking tact or taste
  • Portuguese: bruto — lacking tact or taste
  • Russian: гру́бый (grúbyj) — lacking tact or taste
  • Swedish: grov — lacking tact or taste
  • Swedish: plump — lacking tact or taste
  • Swedish: oborstad — lacking tact or taste
  • Telugu: నాటు (nāṭu) — lacking tact or taste
  • Ottoman Turkish: یوغون (yoğun) — lacking tact or taste
  • Ottoman Turkish: بیاغی (bayağı) — lacking tact or taste
  • Bulgarian: суро́в (suróv) — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • Dutch: ruw — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • French: brut — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • German: roh — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • Greek: ανεπεξέργαστος (anepexérgastos) — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • Hungarian: nyers — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • Italian: raffazzonato — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • Persian: خام (xâm) — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • Russian: необрабо́танный (neobrabótannyj) — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • Russian: сыро́й (syrój) — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • Spanish: en bruto — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • Swedish: obearbetad — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • Swedish: rå — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • Telugu: ముడి (muḍi) — statistics: in an unanalyzed form
  • German: Rohstoff — any substance in its natural state
  • Greek: ακατέργαστος (akatérgastos) — any substance in its natural state
  • Greek: αργός (argós) — any substance in its natural state
  • Hungarian: nyers — any substance in its natural state
  • Italian: greggio — any substance in its natural state
  • Italian: grezzo — any substance in its natural state
  • Swedish: råämne — any substance in its natural state
Real reading context

crude in complete knowledge articles