roughly

adverb

rough·​ly ˈrə-flē 

1

: in a rough manner: such as

a

: with harshness or violence

treated the prisoner roughly

b

: in crude fashion : imperfectly

roughly dressed lumber

2

: without completeness or exactness : approximately

roughly 20 percent

Synonyms of roughly

• approximately
• about
• around

Examples of roughly in a Sentence

Roughly translated, it means “hurry up!”.

The new product is modeled roughly on an earlier design.

He threw the package roughly in the truck.

The guard told us roughly that we had to stand back.

Recent Examples on the Web

All in all, a task that once took nearly a year and required a large, specialized team can now be attempted at home for roughly the price of a two-liter bottle of soda. — Euan Ashley, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026

The roughly 500-square-foot boutique, Meyer’s first and sole retail location, opened in 2018 and is back in business as the neighborhood continues to rebuild following the Palisades fires. — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 1 Oct. 2026

The site divides itself into two hills roughly 1,500 feet apart. — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Demand then ran at roughly twice what the chain had anticipated—turning a loss-leader marketing gambit into a huge financial liability. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for roughly

• gruffly