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

Relevance

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

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

Because of Alden’s quick thinking, Danny now has evidence of all the women abused by Hal and the Eastons over the years.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
In one, Henderson represents a group of families who allege a special education teacher physically abused students.

— Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of abused

Verb

Bluefin tuna crudo is gently pounded and spread with a Peruvian-leaning tomato tear, lemon threads and olive oil.

— David Hochman, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Russia has relentlessly pounded civilian areas of Ukraine, even though Moscow insists its forces target only military facilities.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of pounded

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.

— James Boyd, New York Times, 15 May 2026
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

Definition of manhandled

Verb

Arcila scored with a right-footed shot from the center of the box in the 50th, then whipped the go-ahead goal past Óscar García for his fourth goal of the tournament.

— CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
The bullet apparently whipped across the cab and struck Salgado in the stomach.

— Stephania Taladrid, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of whipped

Verb

While there was a period of harmony between the two coasts, that imploded after Shakur was ambushed at a Times Square recording studio in November 1994.

— Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026
On the day Tran was ambushed, the vehicle circled the area 16 times before the shooting, according to investigators.

— Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

roughed it

roughed (up)

roughen

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Roughed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughed%20%28up%29. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of roughed (up)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

rigmarole

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes