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
-
The district attorney's press release states that Edwards was at the bar with her then-boyfriend, Jordan Hyder, when Vega’s girlfriend unexpectedly licked her face.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
13 Nov. 2025 -
The carcass was gone, the grass and weeds were licked clean of blood, and the knife was buried under debris.—
Marguerite Reiss,
Outdoor Life,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
None of those mothers were found to have abused or neglected their children.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 June 2026
-
Moreover, the states often abused their authority, both over their own citizens and with regard to each other.—
Jordan Cash,
The Conversation,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Still another round of storms pounded the area Saturday night into Sunday morning, likewise bringing down trees and causing flooding.—
Asal Rezaei,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
-
Waves are not expected to be as big as those that pounded the shore last week and led to the deaths of two people.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
The two sisters entered the restaurant, ran behind the counter and attacked the 23-year-old employee after they were given a wrong order, prosecutors said, according to the outlet.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
-
Hundreds of people have been killed in fighting between the two countries since February, when Afghanistan attacked Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
The archipelago is also lashed by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Those ramped up after Ottawa was completely manhandled by the Canes, and never held the lead at any point in the series.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The $100 million price tag attached to the legal action is to make sure the city takes Brown’s allegations seriously — and ensure no one else is manhandled by the police without cause, Brown’s attorney Derek Sells of the Cochran Firm said.—
Sheetal Banchariya,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The combination of sugar snap peas and whipped tofu with a sizzling oil drizzle is a meatless stunner.—
Ellie Krieger,
Washington Post,
10 June 2026
-
Merchants in fine suits rode in carriages or on sedan chairs while enslaved people lugging carts and crates wore dirty, threadbare clothing and could be publicly whipped or burned to death for misbehavior.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
He feels emotionally ambushed, and what plays out is as if Marriage Story were an absolute chucklefest, as Lestat gets increasingly worked up and jealous over Louis’s relationships with other men.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
-
Situated on Route 33 in Manalapan, this state park has preserved the 18th-century landscape of one of the biggest battles of the Revolutionary War, where the Continental Army ambushed the British army along their route from Philadelphia to New York City.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
