crude
adjective · noun
Simple meaning
In a natural, untreated state.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kroodIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɹud
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adjective
In a natural, untreated state.
Characterized by simplicity, especially something not carefully or expertly made.
Lacking tact or taste.
Lacking concealing elements.
noun
Any substance in its natural state.
A dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons
“The pipeline transports crude from the oil field to the refinery.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- General and technical use
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: In a natural, untreated state.
Used this way, crude is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use crude
- “The crude oil price affects many global markets around the world.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.