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

Consider that in the initial reads of the 24 months ending in March of 2025, the BLS reported nearly 5 million new jobs created in roughly the final two years of the Biden administration. —Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025

The number of private schools participating in the program has also increased by roughly 29% over the previous school year, and other participating providers increased five-fold, according to Smith. —Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025

Fines for interfering with saltwater crocodiles in Queensland can be up to $27,539 AUD or roughly $18,400 USD, according to the Queensland government. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025

The average cargo ship produces a steady rumble between about 20 and 200 hertz, roughly the same low-frequency band as a bass speaker, at a volume that’s on par with a chainsaw at close range. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for roughly

• gruffly