crass

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /kræs/ UK /kræs/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like class /l/ vs /r/

Meanings

1

adj
showing gross lack of sensitivity or intelligence

His crass joke fell flat at the solemn gathering.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · showing gross lack of... coarse boorish tactless insensitive gross vulgaroafish

Opposites

refined sensitive tactful subtle cultured

Word family

Derived forms crasslycrassnesscrassitude

Simplified etymology

Crass comes from Latin crassus, meaning “solid” or “thick.” In later medieval English it was first recorded with the meanings “dense, coarse, sluggish.”

Etymology

From Latin 'crassus' ('thick, dense, gross'). The figurative sense 'grossly stupid or insensitive' developed from the literal notion of thickness.

crassus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# crass

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /kræs/
**IPA (UK):** /kræs/

## Meanings
1. showing gross lack of sensitivity or intelligence

## Examples
- His crass joke fell flat at the solemn gathering.

## Synonyms
- coarse
- boorish
- tactless
- insensitive
- gross
- vulgar
- oafish

## Antonyms
- refined
- sensitive
- tactful
- subtle
- cultured

## Derived Forms
- crassly
- crassness
- crassitude

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: crassus

## Etymology
From Latin 'crassus' ('thick, dense, gross'). The figurative sense 'grossly stupid or insensitive' developed from the literal notion of thickness.

## AI Etymology
Crass is from Latin 'crassus' ('thick, dense, gross'). The figurative sense 'grossly stupid or insensitive' developed from the literal notion of thickness. Important recorded forms include crassus (Latin). The current sense covers showing gross lack of sensitivity or intelligence. The wider family includes derived forms such as crassly, crassness, and crassitude.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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