crude Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons
    crude oil; oil; fossil oil; petroleum; rock oil.
  2. adjective satellite not carefully or expertly made
    rough.
    • managed to make a crude splint
    • a crude cabin of logs with bark still on them
    • rough carpentry
  3. adjective satellite conspicuously and tastelessly indecent
    gross; earthy; vulgar.
    • 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
  4. adjective not refined or processed
    unprocessed; unrefined.
    • unrefined ore
    • crude oil
  5. adjective satellite belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness
    primitive; rude.
    • the crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man
    • primitive movies of the 1890s
    • primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains
  6. adjective satellite devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
    blunt; stark.
    • the blunt truth
    • the crude facts
    • facing the stark reality of the deadline
  7. adjective satellite not processed or subjected to analysis
    raw.
    • raw data
    • the raw cost of production
    • only the crude vital statistics

WordNet

Crude adjective
Etymology
L. crudus raw; akin to cruor blood (which flows from a wound). See Raw, and cf. Cruel.
Wordforms
comparative Cruder superlative Crudest
Definitions
  1. In its natural state; not cooked or prepared by fire or heat; undressed; not altered, refined, or prepared for use by any artificial process; raw; as, crude flesh. "Common crude salt." Boyle.
    Molding to its will each successive deposit of the crude materials. I. Taylor.
  2. Unripe; not mature or perfect; immature.
    I come to pluck your berries harsh and crude. Milton.
  3. Not reduced to order or form;unfinished; not arranged or prepared; ill-considered; immature. "Crudeprojects." Macualay.
    Crude, undigested masses of suggestion, furnishing rather raw materials for composition. De Quincey.
    The originals of Nature in their crude Conception. Milton.
  4. Undigested; unconcocted; not brought into a form to give nourishment. "Crude and inconcoct." Bacon.
  5. Having, or displaying, superficial and undigested knowledge; without culture or profudity; as, a crude reasoner.
  6. (Paint.) Harsh and offensive, as a color; tawdry or in bad taste, as a combination of colors, or any design or work of art.

Webster 1913