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

American Supercritical says roughly 140 GW of these turbines operate in the US. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026

But in a report explaining the expense to taxpayers, the board understated its share of the district’s budget by roughly 100 times. — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 23 Sep. 2026

But after six months of boiling, pulping, pressing and tinkering, a project in southeastern Turkey has turned roughly 300 kilograms of the agricultural by-product into sheets that can be stitched, folded, printed, woven and worn. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026

Over the following 18 months, the business grew from one founder to roughly 75 people, gained recognition in the region and, in 2023, was acquired by a Middle Eastern conglomerate. — Trent Challis, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for roughly

• gruffly