Coarse vs. Course — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Fiza Rafique — Updated on September 26, 2023
Coarse refers to something rough in texture or crude in nature; Course can mean a direction, class of study, or part of a meal. Both have distinct meanings and are not interchangeable.
Difference Between Coarse and Course
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Coarse primarily denotes a rough or uneven texture or quality. It can refer to physical surfaces, like fabric, or it can imply crudeness in behavior or language. On the other hand, Course can relate to a direction in which something moves or a path along which something runs.
While Coarse suggests a lack of refinement or fineness, Course encompasses a variety of meanings, including a series of lectures or studies on a particular subject, forming an educational pathway or module. In this sense, Course carries an educational or academic connotation.
Another context for Coarse is when describing a vulgar or inappropriate manner of speaking or acting. This makes the word carry a more negative connotation in such contexts. Course, meanwhile, is also used in the context of meals, referring to the different stages or parts of a meal, such as the "main course."
It's important not to confuse the two despite their phonetic similarities. While Coarse always touches upon the roughness or crudeness of something, Course can vary from educational contexts to directional ones, and even culinary scenarios.
Comparison Chart
Main Association
Roughness or crudeness
Direction, educational path, part of a meal
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Common Contexts
Texture, behavior
Travel, school, dining
Nature
Descriptive
Noun with varied meanings
Connotation
Often negative
Neutral, depends on context
Usage
Used to describe quality or behavior
Refers to direction, a series of lessons, or meal part
Compare with Definitions
Coarse
Lacking refinement or delicacy.
He had a Coarse manner of speaking.
Course
The continuous passage or progress through time.
The Course of the river has changed over years.
Coarse
Crude or vulgar.
The comedian's Coarse jokes offended many.
Course
The way in which something progresses or develops.
The disease took a rapid Course.
Coarse
Rough or loose in texture.
The Coarse sandpaper smoothed the wood.
Course
Development in a particular way; progress
The course of events.
Coarse
Rough or harsh in texture
A coarse woollen cloth
Course
Movement in time; duration
In the course of a year.
Coarse
(of a person or their speech) rude or vulgar
A man of coarse speech
Indecent language and coarse jests
Course
The direction of continuing movement
The boat took a northern course.
Coarse
Relating to the sport of angling for coarse fish
Coarse anglers
Course
The route or path taken by something that moves, such as a stream or vehicle.
Coarse
Of low, common, or inferior quality.
Course
A designated route or area on which a race is held
The course of a marathon.
Coarse
Lacking in delicacy or refinement
Coarse manners.
Course
See golf course.
Coarse
Vulgar or indecent
Coarse language.
Course
A mode of action or behavior
Followed the best course and invested her money.
Coarse
Consisting of large particles; not fine in texture
Coarse sand.
Course
A typical, natural, or customary manner of proceeding or developing
A fad that ran its course.
Coarse
Rough, especially to the touch
A coarse tweed.
Course
A systematic or orderly succession; a sequence
A course of medical treatments.
Coarse
With a rough texture; not smooth.
Course
A continuous layer of building material, such as brick or tile, on a wall or roof of a building.
Coarse
Composed of large particles.
Coarse sand
Course
A complete body of prescribed studies constituting a curriculum
A four-year course in engineering.
Coarse
Lacking refinement, taste or delicacy.
Coarse manners
Coarse language
Course
A unit of such a curriculum
Took an introductory course in chemistry.
Passed her calculus course.
Coarse
Unrefined.
Course
A part of a meal served as a unit at one time
The first course was a delicious soup.
Coarse
Of inferior quality.
Course
(Nautical) The lowest sail on a mast of a square-rigged ship.
Coarse
Large in bulk, or composed of large parts or particles; of inferior quality or appearance; not fine in material or close in texture; gross; thick; rough; - opposed to fine; as, coarse sand; coarse thread; coarse cloth; coarse bread.
Course
A point on the compass, especially the one toward which a vehicle, such as a ship, is moving.
Coarse
Not refined; rough; rude; unpolished; gross; indelicate; as, coarse manners; coarse language.
I feelOf what coarse metal ye are molded.
To copy, in my coarse English, his beautiful expressions.
Course
(Music) A string or set of two or more closely-spaced and usually identically-tuned strings, as on a lute.
Coarse
Of texture; large-grained or rough to the touch;
Coarse meal
Coarse sand
A coarse weave
Course
To move swiftly through or over; traverse
Ships coursing the seas.
Coarse
Lacking refinement or cultivation or taste;
He had coarse manners but a first-rate mind
Behavior that branded him as common
An untutored and uncouth human being
An uncouth soldier--a real tough guy
Appealing to the vulgar taste for violence
The vulgar display of the newly rich
Course
To hunt (game) with hounds.
Coarse
Of low or inferior quality or value;
Of what coarse metal ye are molded
Produced...the common cloths used by the poorer population
Course
To set (hounds) to chase game.
Coarse
Conspicuously and tastelessly indecent;
Coarse language
A crude joke
Crude behavior
An earthy sense of humor
A revoltingly gross expletive
A vulgar gesture
Full of language so vulgar it should have been edited
Course
To proceed or move swiftly in a certain direction or along a course
"Big tears now coursed down her face" (Iris Murdoch).
Coarse
Of low or common quality.
The shirt was made of Coarse fabric.
Course
To hunt game with hounds.
Coarse
Broad or wide in range.
She made a Coarse adjustment to the machine.
Course
A sequence of events.
The normal course of events seems to be just one damned thing after another.
Course
A normal or customary sequence.
Course
A programme, a chosen manner of proceeding.
Course
Any ordered process or sequence of steps.
Course
A learning programme, whether a single class or (UK) a major area of study.
I need to take a French course.
Course
A treatment plan.
Course
A stage of a meal.
We offer seafood as the first course.
Course
The succession of one to another in office or duty; order; turn.
Course
A path that something or someone moves along.
His illness ran its course.
Course
The itinerary of a race.
The cross-country course passes the canal.
Course
A racecourse.
Course
The path taken by a flow of water; a watercourse.
Course
(sports) The trajectory of a ball, frisbee etc.
Course
(golf) A golf course.
Course
(nautical) The direction of movement of a vessel at any given moment.
The ship changed its course 15 degrees towards south.
Course
(navigation) The intended passage of voyage, such as a boat, ship, airplane, spaceship, etc.
A course was plotted to traverse the ocean.
Course
The drive usually frequented by Europeans at an Indian station.
Course
(nautical) The lowest square sail in a fully rigged mast, often named according to the mast.
Main course and mainsail are the same thing in a sailing ship.
Course
Menses.
Course
A row or file of objects.
Course
(masonry) A row of bricks or blocks.
On a building that size, two crews could only lay two courses in a day.
Course
(roofing) A row of material that forms the roofing, waterproofing or flashing system.
Course
(textiles) In weft knitting, a single row of loops connecting the loops of the preceding and following rows.
Course
(music) One or more strings on some musical instruments (such as the guitar, lute or vihuela): if multiple, then closely spaced, tuned in unison or octaves and intended to played together.
Course
To run or flow (especially of liquids and more particularly blood).
The oil coursed through the engine.
Blood pumped around the human body courses throughout all its veins and arteries.
Course
(transitive) To run through or over.
Course
(transitive) To pursue by tracking or estimating the course taken by one's prey; to follow or chase after.
Course
(transitive) To cause to chase after or pursue game.
To course greyhounds after deer
Course
The act of moving from one point to another; progress; passage.
And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais.
Course
The ground or path traversed; track; way.
The same horse also run the round course at Newmarket.
Course
Motion, considered as to its general or resultant direction or to its goal; line progress or advance.
A light by which the Argive squadron steersTheir silent course to Ilium's well known shore.
Westward the course of empire takes its way.
Course
Progress from point to point without change of direction; any part of a progress from one place to another, which is in a straight line, or on one direction; as, a ship in a long voyage makes many courses; a course measured by a surveyor between two stations; also, a progress without interruption or rest; a heat; as, one course of a race.
Course
Motion considered with reference to manner; or derly progress; procedure in a certain line of thought or action; as, the course of an argument.
The course of true love never did run smooth.
Course
Customary or established sequence of events; recurrence of events according to natural laws.
By course of nature and of law.
Day and night,Seedtime and harvest, heat and hoary frost,Shall hold their course.
Course
Method of procedure; manner or way of conducting; conduct; behavior.
My lord of York commends the plot and the general course of the action.
By perseverance in the course prescribed.
You hold your course without remorse.
Course
A series of motions or acts arranged in order; a succession of acts or practices connectedly followed; as, a course of medicine; a course of lectures on chemistry.
Course
The succession of one to another in office or duty; order; turn.
He appointed . . . the courses of the priests
Course
That part of a meal served at one time, with its accompaniments.
He [Goldsmith] wore fine clothes, gave dinners of several courses, paid court to venal beauties.
Course
A continuous level range of brick or stones of the same height throughout the face or faces of a building.
Course
The lowest sail on any mast of a square-rigged vessel; as, the fore course, main course, etc.
Course
The menses.
Course
To run, hunt, or chase after; to follow hard upon; to pursue.
We coursed him at the heels.
Course
To cause to chase after or pursue game; as, to course greyhounds after deer.
Course
To run through or over.
The bounding steed courses the dusty plain.
Course
To run as in a race, or in hunting; to pursue the sport of coursing; as, the sportsmen coursed over the flats of Lancashire.
Course
To move with speed; to race; as, the blood courses through the veins.
Course
Education imparted in a series of lessons or class meetings;
He took a course in basket weaving
Flirting is not unknown in college classes
Course
A connected series of events or actions or developments;
The government took a firm course
Historians can only point out those lines for which evidence is available
Course
Facility consisting of a circumscribed area of land or water laid out for a sport;
The course had only nine holes
The course was less than a mile
Course
A mode of action;
If you persist in that course you will surely fail
Once a nation is embarked on a course of action it becomes extremely difficult for any retraction to take place
Course
A line or route along which something travels or moves;
The hurricane demolished houses in its path
The track of an animal
The course of the river
Course
General line of orientation;
The river takes a southern course
The northeastern trend of the coast
Course
Part of a meal served at one time;
She prepared a three course meal
Course
(construction) a layer of masonry;
A course of bricks
Course
Move swiftly through or over;
Ships coursing the Atlantic
Course
Move along, of liquids;
Water flowed into the cave
The Missouri feeds into the Mississippi
Course
Hunt with hounds;
He often courses hares
Course
As might be expected;
Naturally, the lawyer sent us a huge bill
Course
The path or direction followed.
The ship set its Course for the island.
Course
A series of lectures or lessons on a particular subject.
I took a Course on Ancient History.
Course
A part of a meal.
For the main Course, we had steak.
Common Curiosities
Are Coarse and Course homophones?
Yes, they sound alike but have different meanings.
Is Course always about education?
No, it can refer to direction, part of a meal, or the progression of events.
Can Coarse refer to someone's behavior?
Yes, it can imply crude or unrefined behavior.
Can Coarse describe fabric?
Yes, it can refer to rough or thick fabric.
Is a "main course" about education?
No, in this context, it refers to the primary dish in a meal.
Is "course book" a textbook?
Yes, it's a book used for a specific academic course.
Is "coarse grain" about large grains?
Yes, it means the grains are larger or rougher in texture.
Can you "change course" in a conversation?
Yes, it means to shift the topic or direction of the conversation.
Can Course refer to a route?
Yes, it can refer to a direction or path taken.
What does "course of action" mean?
It refers to a plan or procedure to be followed.
Is "coarse language" inappropriate?
Typically, yes. It refers to crude or vulgar language.
Can a person be described as Coarse?
Yes, implying they lack refinement or are crude.
How does Coarse relate to hair?
Coarse hair refers to thick or rough-textured hair.
Does Coarse always have a negative connotation?
Often, but not always. Context is crucial.
Is "golf course" related to education?
No, it's a place where golf is played.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
