Rough sounding path (6)
I believe the answer is:
coarse
'rough' is the definition.
(associated in meaning)
'sounding path' is the wordplay.
'sounding' shows a homophone (sound like).
'path' becomes 'course' (course is a kind of path).
'course' is a homophone of 'COARSE'.
(Other definitions for coarse that I've seen before include "Large-grained or rough to the touch" , "Unpolished -- ribald" , "Rough or crude, lacking refinement" , "Rude, vulgar" , "Unrefined; rough" .)