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

• 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

The earthquake shook at a depth of just 3 miles, with its epicenter roughly 4 miles southeast of Black Point-Green Point. —Ca Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2025

While Texas requires two-thirds of the body to be in attendance for a quorum, Missouri’s legislature only requires a simple majority — and the GOP holds roughly a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the Missouri legislature. —Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025

Job postings that mentioned at least one AI skill advertised salaries 28% higher on average than those that listed none, representing roughly $18,000 more per year. —Dylan Butts shreya Ghosal, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025

Although the survey didn’t determine the number of employees added versus the drop in hiring, New York Fed economists said the two trends are roughly offsetting each other. —Paul Davidson, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for roughly

• gruffly