ROUGHED (UP) Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

roughed (up)

verb

past tense of rough (up)

as in licked

to strike repeatedly she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in abused

to abuse physically the photographer claimed that he had been roughed up by the actor's bodyguards outside the club

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughed (up)

Verb

Tuxedo kitten Paolina bounced onto my chest and licked my fingers.

— Solvej Schou, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Her entire face got licked clean off her head when suburban floodwaters breached the cardboard hull protecting Kath’s basement memorabilia stack a few months before I was born.

— Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of licked

Verb

The first leg was stopped after Vinicius Junior said he had been racially abused by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who denied the allegation.

— Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
As a result of the accusation, police mailed letters to around 200 parents that warned them their child could have been abused and asked for information, while therapy clinic Children’s Institute International conducted interviews with students.

— Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of abused

Verb

Russia pounded Kyiv for more than 12 hours in a sixth straight night of attacks, killing at least 12 people including six railway workers and an Indian citizen, and devastating civilian districts.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Floods of ‘destructive force’ blast through the canyon As the rain pounded the canyon Saturday, park officials received an alert from the National Weather Service warning of flash flooding in the area.

— Holly Yan, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of pounded

Verb

For example, ExploitGym, a cybersecurity benchmark that was at the center of the July incident in which OpenAI’s models went rogue and attacked the company Hugging Face, was created in 2026.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
In the wake of Thursday’s ruling, a chorus of Missouri Republicans have attacked the court over its decision.

— Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of attacked

Verb

Last month, Trump lashed out on coverage of poll results, which have been sagging in the 30s as Republicans seek to retain control of Congress.

— Ted Johnson, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026
Outside a fierce storm lashed down, wind whipped against the wood planks, thunder shook the ground, water streamed through cracks and floated into the shack.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of lashed

Verb

After getting physically manhandled far too often last year, Colorado was the more physical team against a Yellow Jackets program that prides itself on toughness.

— Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
New England lost in demoralizing fashion to the Seahawks last February, 29-13, as the Seattle defense manhandled the Patriots’ offense.

— Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of manhandled

Verb

The same 1-2 punch that ambushed Cambridge with 52 points in the Dave Hunter + Corky Kell Classic beat South Gwinnett on Friday 55-20.

— Jack Leo, AJC.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Belle and Cal were ambushed in the finale and shot at by gunmen who were later revealed to be hired by Tom Wheeler, and the episode ended without confirming either of their fates.

— Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of ambushed

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.

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roughed it

roughed (up)

roughen

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“Roughed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughed%20%28up%29. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of roughed (up)

verb

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