roughly

adverb

rough·​ly ˈrə-flē How to pronounce roughly (audio)
Synonyms of roughlynext
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Pittsburgh region has roughly 40,000 rooms, while Allegheny County has roughly 19,000, Ivery said. Ricky Sayer, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026 It’s been roughly 11 months since the Knicks and Celtics met in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, a series ending in disaster for the Celtics, who were favored to beat the Knicks before blowing consecutive 20-point leads to open the semifinals. Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026 The city relies on a nearly decade-old estimate of roughly $576,000 to remediate historic burn ash contamination on that alternative site. Charles Rilli, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026 No decision was announced following Thursday’s roughly two-hour hearing, according to reports. Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for roughly

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of roughly was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Roughly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/roughly. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.

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