coarsen

/ˈkɔːsn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈkɔːrsn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkȯr-sᵊn How to pronounce coarsen (audio)/ (ame, mw)

coarsen — verb

  • coarsenpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • coarsenshe / she / it
  • coarsenedpast simple
  • coarsening-ing form

1. to make a surface or material feel less smooth and fine, or to start feeling tha

1.動詞及物 / 不及物C1
釋義

to make a surface or material feel less smooth and fine, or to start feeling that way itself

例句

Years of sea wind had coarsened the paint on the fishing boat.

weather can coarsen a surface

The harsh soap coarsened her hands during the winter cleaning job.

同義詞
  • roughen

    the plain everyday choice for making a surface less smooth

  • harden

    focuses on becoming firmer, not necessarily rougher

  • thicken

    used for greater depth or density rather than rough texture

反義詞
  • smooth

    make the surface more even to the touch

  • soften

    reduce hardness or harsh texture

  • refine

    make a material finer or less coarse

文法句型

coarsen + object

coarsen over time

用法筆記

Often used of skin, cloth, paint, grain, soil, or other physical material. This sense can describe either a thing changing by itself or a person or machine making it rougher; it is different from sense 2, which is about speech or behaviour becoming cruder.

常見錯誤

❌Cooking longer coarsened the soup.
✅Cooking longer thickened the soup.
💡coarsen is about a rougher texture or larger grain, not greater liquid density.
❌The winter air coarsened the ice on the pond.
✅The winter air roughened the ice on the pond.
💡here the surface simply became less smooth; coarsen usually suggests a broader change in texture or grain.

2. to make speech, behaviour, or style ruder and less refined, or to let it drift i

2.動詞及物 / 不及物C1
釋義

to make speech, behaviour, or style ruder and less refined, or to let it drift in that direction

例句

After midnight, the comedian's jokes coarsened and several families left.

humour grows more offensive

The school chat coarsened when hidden accounts started posting insults.

coarsen when insults appear

同義詞
  • vulgarize

    more formal and strongly focused on becoming crude or offensive

  • debase

    stresses lowering quality or standards more broadly

  • cheapen

    often about lowering dignity or seriousness rather than rudeness alone

反義詞
  • refine

    make speech, behaviour, or taste more polished

  • elevate

    raise the tone to something more serious or noble

  • civilize

    make behaviour more polite and controlled

文法句型

coarsen + object

coarsen when + clause

用法筆記

Usually said of humour, public talk, online discussion, or someone's everyday language, not of a single direct comment by itself. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about social tone or behaviour becoming crude, not about a physical surface changing texture.

常見錯誤

❌The editor coarsened the report by removing long sentences.
✅The editor simplified the report by removing long sentences.
💡shorter and plainer writing is not automatically rude or low in quality.
❌Her tone coarsened because she spoke more directly.
✅Her tone coarsened when she started using crude jokes and insults.
💡direct speech can be plain without becoming coarse; coarsen suggests something cruder or more offensive.