Definition of "coarse-grained" []

• Having a rough, coarse texture. (adjective)
• Not refined; indelicate and crude. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Just to be clear: I think doing these comparisons by states is a coarse-grained exercise in foolishness."
• "It is, however, better to have a coarse-grained understanding that none at all."
• "Although the plume has risen to the same height as it did when it first caused mass disruption of air traffic across Europe, this time the ash particles are much more coarse-grained, so the cloud won't travel as easily, the expert said, adding that aircraft could be rerouted to avoid the cloud."