1
as in licked
to strike repeatedly
she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in abused
to abuse physically
the photographer claimed that he had been roughed up by the actor's bodyguards outside the club
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughed (up)
Verb
-
In Huntington Beach and San Clemente, the messy, wild waves licked the bottom of the pier structures.
-
When the tiffin is returned licked clean, Ila sends another meal but with a note, leading to a rich correspondence between the two.
Verb
-
Bianca Graham, 30, of Astoria, abused her position at the Blythebourne Post Office in Borough Park to make some extra cash at the expense of 13 victims between August 2024 and August 2025, prosecutors say.
-
Seven years later, Leonard has abused an organization, alienated a fan base and basically collected nearly $300 million of Steve Ballmer’s money and burned it.
Verb
-
As the storms pounded the area, Bartlett and Hanover Park were hit especially hard, with 3-inch tree limbs reported down in Bartlett.
-
West Germany, arrogant attitude adjusted, pounded Chile, 4-1.
Verb
-
Daga, Berto, Angel, Bronco Nima and Karmen Petrovic attacked El Grande Americano and took off their jackets to reveal their Los Perros del Mal T-shirts.
-
The prosecution said the two activists had incited a mob that subsequently attacked a security vehicle, seized the soldier and beat him to death with sticks and bricks.
Verb
-
With two strikes and two outs in the ninth inning, Turner lashed a single to center.
-
Photos of Hammett in the garment eventually caught the attention of Swifties, who lashed out at the guitarist on Reddit and social media.
Verb
-
During this stretch, the Colts will face three AFC opponents, including the Steelers, who manhandled them last year and forced Jones to commit a career-high five turnovers in a loss.
-
Those ramped up after Ottawa was completely manhandled by the Canes, and never held the lead at any point in the series.
Verb
-
Haaland leaped and whipped a header toward the corner of the net — only for the goalkeeper to make a save.
-
The menu features Mediterranean delicacies, starting with mezze like hummus, muhammara (a walnut and red pepper dip) and whipped feta spreads.
Verb
-
On the fourth day, his team was ambushed and outnumbered by Vietnamese fighters.
-
Ex-Rep Elaine Luria ambushed on camera over 2000% net worth spike during tenure.
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.
Cite this Entry
“Roughed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughed%20%28up%29. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
