rough evidence

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "rough evidence" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe preliminary or unrefined evidence that may not be fully substantiated or verified. Example: "The researchers presented rough evidence suggesting a correlation between the two variables, but further studies are needed to confirm their findings."

✓ Grammatically correct

Food Policy

The Guardian

The New York Times

International Journal of Approximate Reasoning

The Guardian - Opinion

The Guardian

The New Yorker

Huffington Post

Plosone

BMC Medical Genomics

Information Sciences

BMC Infectious Diseases

The Economist

Surface and Coatings Technology

Earth, Planets and Space

Los Angeles Times

The New York Times - Sports

The New York Times - Arts

CKJ: Clinical Kidney Journal

eLife

The Guardian

SEP

Independent

Clinical Oral Investigations

Encyclopedia Britannica

BioMed Research International

The New York Times

Electrochimica Acta

The Guardian

The Economist

The New York Times

The New Yorker

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

We also provide some rough evidence that there is no price effect in the retail market, which suggests that part of the wholesale markups may have been transferred to the retailers.

Food Policy

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Howard Sinclair, chief executive of St Mungo's, said he was concerned by "both the shocking, unprecedented rise in people who are sleeping rough, and evidence that more of this group are struggling with poor mental health".

The Guardian

It serves as rough and unreliable evidence of a degree of intelligence and perseverance -- that's it.

The New York Times

Based on these discussions, connections between neighborhood-covering rough sets and evidence theory are set up to establish a basic framework of numerical characterizations of attribute reduction with these sets.

International Journal of Approximate Reasoning

Rough sleeping, the visible evidence of thousands more cases of hidden homelessness, has doubled across England in the past six years.

The Guardian - Opinion

There is no clear consensus on this: complaints about the ban seem based on instinct and rough logic, not clear evidence.

The Guardian

But it's comedy, he concludes, with a rough edge of accusation: evidence, Updike writes, that "bad societies offer no incentive to grow up".

The New Yorker

The Brush house, too, bears evidence of rough treatment: parts of its galvanized-iron cornice have rotted away and several windows boarded up.

The New York Times

In the early 2000s, a group of Oakland residents filed a class action lawsuit against OPD for allowing a handful of rogue officers, calling themselves the "Rough Riders," to plant evidence, use excessive force and falsify police reports.

Huffington Post

After challenged with 10 MLD50 of homologous HPAI H5N1 virus, mice in PBS group became sick, as evidenced by rough coat, less reactive, passive during handling, rolled up and labored breath, on day 3 after the challenge, rapidly lost weight.

Plosone

On the basis of the database information and the literature evidences, the rough PPAN, which consists of all possible static interactions among the proteins of interest, was constructed.

BMC Medical Genomics

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "rough evidence", clarify the limitations of the evidence and indicate what further steps are needed to strengthen the claim.

Common error

Avoid presenting "rough evidence" as conclusive proof. Clearly acknowledge its preliminary nature to maintain credibility.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "rough evidence" functions as an adjective-noun combination. The adjective "rough" modifies the noun "evidence", indicating that the evidence is preliminary, approximate, or not fully refined. Ludwig indicates that the phrase is correct and usable.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

30%

Science

30%

Formal & Business

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

3%

Academia

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "rough evidence" is a grammatically sound adjective-noun combination used to describe evidence that is preliminary, unrefined, or not yet fully substantiated. As Ludwig confirms, the phrase is correct and usable in written English. It's important to note that because the evidence is "rough", one should clarify its limitations and avoid presenting it as conclusive proof. Alternatives like "preliminary evidence" or "tentative evidence" can be used depending on the context. The phrase appears across various contexts, including news media and scientific publications, maintaining a neutral register.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

preliminary evidence

Replaces "rough" with a more formal synonym, indicating evidence that is initial or in the early stages.

tentative evidence

Suggests that the evidence is not yet conclusive or certain.

unconfirmed evidence

Highlights the lack of verification or validation of the evidence.

circumstantial evidence

Implies that the evidence relies on inference rather than direct proof.

weak evidence

Emphasizes the limited strength or persuasiveness of the evidence.

fragile evidence

Suggests that the evidence is easily challenged or refuted.

sketchy evidence

Indicates that the evidence is incomplete or lacking in detail.

incomplete evidence

Focuses on the lack of all necessary components in the evidence.

initial findings

Shifts the focus from 'evidence' to 'findings', which are less conclusive at an early stage.

early indications

Emphasizes that the signs or data are preliminary and may not hold up to further scrutiny.

FAQs

How can I use "rough evidence" in a sentence?

You can use "rough evidence" to describe preliminary findings. For example, "The study provided "rough evidence" suggesting a link between diet and disease, but more research is needed."

What's a more formal way to say "rough evidence"?

A more formal alternative to "rough evidence" is "preliminary evidence", which also indicates that the evidence is in an early stage and not yet fully developed.

Is "rough evidence" the same as "circumstantial evidence"?

Not exactly. "Rough evidence" implies the evidence is preliminary or unrefined, while "circumstantial evidence" suggests indirect evidence from which inferences are drawn.

What are some alternatives to "rough evidence"?

Alternatives to "rough evidence" include "tentative evidence", "unconfirmed evidence", and "weak evidence", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.