rudeness

rudeness — noun

1. words or actions that show you do not care about other people's feelings, often

1.nounB1
Definition

words or actions that show you do not care about other people's feelings, often making them feel insulted, hurt, or annoyed.

Example

The customer complained about the waiter's rudeness when he refused to answer any questions.

rudeness + about; complain about rudeness

Tariro was shocked by the sheer rudeness of her classmate's comment about her accent.

collocation: sheer rudeness

Common collocations
  • sheer rudeness
  • excuse my rudeness
  • ignore someone's rudeness
  • apologize for rudeness
  • rudeness towards
  • rudeness to
  • an act of rudeness
  • rude remark
  • rude behavior
Synonyms
  • impoliteness

    softer, less emotional; focuses on lack of good manners rather than active offensiveness

  • discourtesy

    formal register; common in official complaints or written reports

  • disrespect

    stronger connotation of deliberate contempt; suggests a power imbalance

  • insolence

    implies open, defiant disrespect, especially from a subordinate toward an authority figure

Antonyms
  • politeness

    the direct opposite; behaviour that shows consideration for others

  • courtesy

    formal and positive; often implies going beyond basic politeness

  • respect

    broader in meaning; includes admiration as well as polite behaviour

Grammar Patterns

rude + noun

rudeness of + noun phrase

possessive + rudeness

Usage Note

Frequently used with possessive adjectives (his rudeness, her rudeness). The phrase 'excuse my rudeness' is a fixed polite formula used when interrupting or correcting someone.

Common Mistakes

He made a rudeness when he interrupted the speaker.
He was rude when he interrupted the speaker.
rudeness is uncountable and cannot be used with 'a'.
I was surprised by the rudeness of the food.
I was surprised by the poor quality of the food.
rudeness refers to behavior, not objects.
She treated us with rudeness.
She treated us rudely.
the adverb form is more natural after verbs like 'treat'.

2. behaviour, jokes, or remarks about sex or bodily functions that most people cons

2.nounB2
Definition

behaviour, jokes, or remarks about sex or bodily functions that most people consider embarrassing, offensive, or inappropriate for a particular setting.

Example

The TV show was criticized for the rudeness of its jokes about bodily functions.

rudeness of jokes / comedy

Joon left the meeting when a colleague's bathroom jokes made everyone uncomfortable.

bodily rudeness in a formal setting

Common collocations
  • sexual rudeness
  • bodily rudeness
  • rudeness of jokes
  • rudeness of language
  • rudeness of material
Synonyms
  • vulgarity

    stronger and more negative; implies something is not just rude but crude and tasteless

  • crudeness

    can overlap with sense 3 (rough quality); in this context, it emphasizes a lack of refinement or delicacy

  • indecency

    suggests that something violates social or legal standards of propriety

Antonyms
  • decency

    behaviour that respects social norms about appropriate topics

  • propriety

    formal term for correct, socially acceptable behaviour

Grammar Patterns

rudeness of + noun phrase (jokes, comments, language, material)

sexual rudeness / bodily rudeness

Usage Note

This sense overlaps with sense 1 but is narrower: it refers specifically to the topic of the remark (sex or bodily functions), not the manner. A joke can be sexually rude even if delivered politely. Adverbs like 'sexually' or 'bodily' can be added before 'rude' to clarify this sense.

Common Mistakes

His jokes were full of rudeness about politics.
His jokes were full of rudeness about sex and the body.
this sense is limited to sexual and bodily topics only.

3. a rough and unpolished condition found in an object that was made with basic too

3.nounC1
Definition

a rough and unpolished condition found in an object that was made with basic tools and little attention to detail.

Example

The bench's rudeness showed that it was built from rough planks in a hurry.

rudeness of a physical object; built + with rough planks

Nia admired the rudeness of the old pottery, with its uneven edges and coarse surface.

describing handmade objects; coarse surface

Common collocations
  • rudeness of construction
  • rudeness of workmanship
  • rudeness of the carving
  • rudeness of the shelter
Synonyms
  • crudeness

    more common in modern English; can refer to both physical objects and lack of skill

  • roughness

    focuses on texture or finish rather than the quality of construction

  • coarseness

    can describe texture but also overlaps with sense 2 (vulgarity) in social contexts

Antonyms
  • refinement

    the quality of being carefully made with attention to detail

  • elegance

    a high degree of polish and sophistication in design or execution

  • sophistication

    advanced or complex quality in construction or design

Grammar Patterns

the rudeness of + concrete noun (construction, workmanship, carving, shelter, pottery)

Usage Note

This is an archaic or literary sense. In modern everyday English, 'crudeness' or 'roughness' is far more common for physical objects. This sense survives mainly in descriptions of handmade objects, early craftsmanship, or simple shelters.

Common Mistakes

The rudeness of his cooking surprised nobody.
The crudeness of his cooking surprised nobody.
for food or skill-based activities, use 'crudeness' rather than 'rudeness'.

Word family

  • rude
    adjectiveA2
  • rudely
    adverbB1
  • ruder
    adjective (comparative)B1
  • rudest
    adjective (superlative)B1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe behaviour that fails to show consideration for others, but they differ in strength, register, and emotional charge. 'Rudeness' is the everyday, all-purpose term — it covers everything from forgetting to say please to shouting at someone. 'Impoliteness' is softer and more neutral; it implies a breach of etiquette rather than a deliberate offense. 'Discourtesy' is the most formal of the group, appearing mostly in written complaints or official contexts ('discourtesy to passengers will result in disciplinary action'). 'Disrespect' carries the strongest emotional weight — it suggests a conscious choice to treat someone or something as unworthy of consideration, often in situations involving authority, age, or cultural values. For example, speaking loudly on a phone in a library is rudeness; calling a teacher by a nickname to their face is disrespect. Choosing between them depends on how intentional and how serious the offense feels.

rudeness ↗impolitenessdiscourtesydisrespect ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • act of rudeness

Prepositions

  • rudeness of

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Rudeness comes from the adjective 'rude' plus the noun suffix '-ness', which turns adjectives into nouns describing a quality or state. The word 'rude' entered English from Old French 'rud' (rough, unpolished), which came from Latin 'rudis' meaning rough, raw, or unskilled. Initially, 'rude' described physical roughness — a rude carving or rude shelter. By the 1300s, the meaning had expanded to cover coarse or uncultured behaviour, and by the 1500s it carried the sense of deliberately offensive manners. The modern noun 'rudeness' therefore carries traces of its original physical meaning in sense 3 (rough quality), while senses 1 and 2 reflect the later social and moral extensions.