Standard Lemma guide

roughshod

adj · 5 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.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɹʌfʃɒd/
  • General-American: /ˈɹʌfʃɑd/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R AH1 F SH AA1 D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of a horse: having hooves shod with horseshoes that have calks or projecting parts to prevent slipping.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: farriery, hobbies, horses, lifestyle, pets, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Brutal or domineering.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective satellite

Meaning 3

unjustly domineering

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • incensed at the government's heavy-handed economic policies
  • a manager who rode roughshod over all opposition

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: heavy-handed

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a barbarous crime
  • brutal beatings
  • cruel tortures
  • Stalin's roughshod treatment of the kulaks
  • a savage slap
  • vicious kicks

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: barbarous, brutal, cruel, fell, savage, vicious

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

(of a horse) having horseshoes with projecting nails to prevent slipping

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From rough + shod.