SCABROUS Synonyms: 55 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'scabrous' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of scabrous are harsh , rough , rugged , and uneven . While all these words mean "not smooth or even," scabrous implies scaliness or prickliness of surface. // a scabrous leaf

Q: Where would 'harsh' be a reasonable alternative to 'scabrous'?

The meanings of harsh and scabrous largely overlap; however, harsh implies a surface or texture distinctly unpleasant to the touch. // a harsh fabric that chafes the skin

Q: When would 'rough' be a good substitute for 'scabrous'?

While in some cases nearly identical to scabrous , rough implies points, bristles, ridges, or projections on the surface. // a rough wooden board

Q: When could 'rugged' be used to replace 'scabrous'?

While the synonyms rugged and scabrous are close in meaning, rugged implies irregularity or roughness of land surface and connotes difficulty of travel. // a rugged landscape

Q: When is it sensible to use 'uneven' instead of 'scabrous'?

The words uneven and scabrous can be used in similar contexts, but uneven implies a lack of uniformity in height, breadth, or quality. // an old house with uneven floors

scabrous

adjective

Definition of scabrous

as in troublesome

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How does the adjective scabrous contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of scabrous are harsh, rough, rugged, and uneven. While all these words mean "not smooth or even," scabrous implies scaliness or prickliness of surface.

a scabrous leaf

Where would harsh be a reasonable alternative to scabrous?

The meanings of harsh and scabrous largely overlap; however, harsh implies a surface or texture distinctly unpleasant to the touch.

a harsh fabric that chafes the skin

When would rough be a good substitute for scabrous?

While in some cases nearly identical to scabrous, rough implies points, bristles, ridges, or projections on the surface.

a rough wooden board

When could rugged be used to replace scabrous?

While the synonyms rugged and scabrous are close in meaning, rugged implies irregularity or roughness of land surface and connotes difficulty of travel.

a rugged landscape

When is it sensible to use uneven instead of scabrous?

The words uneven and scabrous can be used in similar contexts, but uneven implies a lack of uniformity in height, breadth, or quality.

an old house with uneven floors

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of scabrous Jacobs wrote the script with these three actors in mind, which was perhaps shocking news to each of them, who play scabrous women who locate the worst characteristics of each other and then blow them up into throwdown fights. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2024 Is this Scott redoing American Gangster as a grand Italian tragedy, or scabrous comedy about a family undone by their ineptitude and excess? — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024 In the midst of all this, Orcutt, once of scabrous ’90s noise legends Harry Pussy, has made a sequel to the instrumental solo album that gave birth to the BOGQ, 2022’s Music For Four Guitars. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 June 2026 Their debut album, Bergtatt (1995), released when singer Kristoffer Garm Rygg was 18, inspired a whole universe of nature-drunk folk metal; meanwhile, Nattens Madrigal (1997) is a prime example of the most scabrous and distortion-encrusted recesses of black metal. — Daniel Bromfield, Pitchfork, 8 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scabrous

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scabrous

Adjective

The show about the white-picket fence Cleaver family and their troublesome son created a foundational image of post-war Americana that has been so influential, the show’s title is a shorthand for this era of conservative nuclear family values.

— Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 29 June 2026
One of the troublesome sounds for writers was /w/.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 25 June 2026

Definition of troublesome

Adjective

The annual Group of 7 summit for decades has been an occasion for the heads of state of Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and the United States to meet as friends and try to hash out a collective approach to the vexing problems of the day.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
Cardholders struggle with inflation, interest rates Cardholders are still struggling with a vexing combination of elevated inflation and interest rates.

— Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 12 June 2026

Definition of vexing

Adjective

On one side is challenger Holly Cook, who has filed for bankruptcy twice, been held in contempt of court on nine counts, been pursued by multiple collections agencies and once was labeled a vexatious litigant, court records showed.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 13 May 2026
The federal vexatious litigator statute allows the court to impose sanctions on a case by case basis for vexatious conduct.

— Jack Greiner, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Feb. 2026

Definition of vexatious

Adjective

Colombia earned its passage into the round of 16 with a 1-0 win over stubborn Ghana.

— Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Pickle Robot’s Physical AI unloaders tackle the dock door bottleneck, which is a stubborn pain point in inbound logistics, while AmbiStack handles the structured, high-volume stacking that feeds downstream operations.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 6 July 2026

Definition of stubborn

Adjective

On the other hand, go back to a comment Waddell made to me on Tuesday at the Board of Governors meeting in New York City, responding to a question about the likes of Dylan Larkin and Brady Tkachuk and whether that was a worrisome trend for teams around the league.

— Pierre LeBrun, New York Times, 27 June 2026
The worrisome drug withdrawal popping up in jails A powerful tranquilizer has started to accompany fentanyl in the country’s illicit opioid supply, and jails are struggling to handle the drug’s excruciating, complicated withdrawal symptoms.

— O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 26 June 2026

Definition of worrisome

Adjective

Autism is a complex developmental condition now known as autism spectrum disorder that affects people in different ways.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
But now, at an outcrop on the edge of an ancient river channel named Neretva Vallis, Perseverance detected complex macromolecular carbon sitting right on the rock’s surface.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 4 July 2026

Definition of complex

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“Scabrous.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scabrous. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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