roughly

adverb

rough·ly | \ ˈrə-flē

How to pronounce roughly (audio)

\

Definition of roughly

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 & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about roughly

Keep scrolling for more

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 So far, the world’s mountain glaciers have actually been keeping pace with the ice sheets, losing 6.1 trillion tons of ice over the same time period and thus adding roughly the same amount to sea level. — Author: Chris Mooney, Andrew Freedman, Anchorage Daily News, "Earth is now losing 1.2 trillion tons of ice each year. And it’s going to get worse.," 26 Jan. 2021 Measure out 1 cup of the reserved fennel fronds and roughly chop them. — Christian Reynoso, SFChronicle.com, "Briny clams get a kick from fresh horseradish and herbs for a rich wintery meal," 22 Jan. 2021 The model also suggests that infections would fall by roughly the same amount — 1% to 5% — if vaccine is prioritized for those with medical conditions that complicate the course of COVID-19. — Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times, "Haves vs. have-nots: Who ‘deserves’ to be next in line for the COVID-19 vaccine?," 19 Dec. 2020 Transfer eggplant mixture to a food processor and pulse to roughly chop (do not puree). — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Eggplant Parmesan Meatballs," 16 Dec. 2020 Based on the predicted setup, which still could change, accumulating snow is a strong possibility in the western part of the region, particularly along and west of a line from roughly Warrenton to Leesburg to Frederick. — Washington Post, "Winter storm possible next Wednesday in Mid-Atlantic, and D.C. may straddle rain-snow line," 11 Dec. 2020 The roughly 40,000-square-foot temple will go up on 1.62 acres along with a new two-level meetinghouse, church offices, a distribution center and housing for patrons. — David Noyce, The Salt Lake Tribune, "LDS Church begins work on a historic temple, its first in India," 4 Dec. 2020 The blaze was reported just before 4:45 a.m. at a roughly 3,000-square-foot house on Sandia Creek Drive a few miles north of downtown Fallbrook, San Diego County Sheriff’s Lt. Pat McEvoy said. — City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Fire rips through Fallbrook home, spreads to brush before doused at quarter-acre," 4 Dec. 2020 If its rogue status is confirmed, the roughly Mars-to-Earth-mass object would be the most diminutive free-floating planet ever seen. — Nola Taylor Redd, Scientific American, "Rogue Rocky Planet Found Adrift in the Milky Way," 19 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'roughly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about roughly

Dictionary Entries near roughly

Statistics for roughly

Last Updated

24 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Roughly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roughly. Accessed 4 Mar. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for roughly

roughly

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of roughly

: not exactly but close in number, quality, meaning, etc.

: in a way that is not gentle or careful

: in a very simple or basic way

See the full definition for roughly in the English Language Learners Dictionary

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

smorgasbord

Listen to the pronunciation of smorgasbord

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Who Knew?

What is a ruelle?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Anagram puzzles meet word search.

TAKE THE QUIZ