roughly

adverb

ˈrə-flē How to pronounce roughly (audio)
Definition of roughlynext
1
as in approximately
close to but not exactly roughly 80% of the country's population is of that faith

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in severely
in a manner so as to cause loss or suffering if you treat the machine roughly, it will of course break

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of roughly Detectives have interviewed roughly 20 witnesses and continue to pursue numerous leads, according to the city. — Eric MacK , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026 This number roughly doubled each of the next two years and topped 1,700 in 2024 and 2025. — Sasha Allen, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026 Revenues between Friday and Sunday amounted to roughly $60 million, marking one of the slowest weekends of the year, according to Rentrak. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 1 Nov. 2026 Crave Kitchen & Bar, the Eagle hot spot that opened in 2020, is headed to Meridian’s Ten Mile Crossing development in a roughly 8,000-square-foot space in front of Scheels, with a target opening of fall 2027 and more than 100 new jobs expected. — Chadd Cripe. Produced With Ai Assistance, Idaho Statesman, 1 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for roughly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughly
  1. approximately
  2. severely
  3. about
  4. harshly
  5. around
  6. oppressively
  7. hard
  8. brutally
Adverb
  • The research team cited a potential energy density of around 600 watt-hours per kilogram, compared with approximately 150–250 Wh/kg for standard lithium-ion batteries.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Investigators allege Maniscalco stole approximately $80, a gold chain, a gold Seiko watch, a gold bracelet and keys to several vehicles, including a 2026 Chevrolet Corvette, a 2026 GMC Sierra and a 2016 Cadillac Escalade.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of approximately
Adverb
  • Hospitals in the north lack health workers, medicines and equipment, while ambulance services are severely limited and insecurity is obstructing medical deliveries, Tedros said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Utley fractured the vertebrae in his neck and severely damaged his spinal cord.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of severely
Adverb
  • Baltzor and her husband Keith, had just finished riding a bunch of about 150 hundred head of their cattle down Highway 205 on horseback from another pasture.
    — Anna King, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Thanks to a demolition crew’s early Saturday morning implosion, an 18-story office tower that has hung over Clairmont Road in Chamblee for about five decades has been reduced to rubble.
    — Savannah Sicurella, AJC.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of about
Adverb
  • Her intentions were made clear in exchanges on social media with Bowden, who harshly criticized Honeycutt for crossing party lines, particularly for talking with Ocasio-Cortez.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 5 Nov. 2026
  • For gaining independence, it was harshly punished financially.
    — Elisa Turner, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of harshly
Adverb
  • Neodymium is particularly important because around 90 percent of the material is imported from China, according to Fraunhofer.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Brush On Block formulates cruelty-free mineral sun care powders and lip oils built for application and reapplication so protecting your skin fits into your day, not the other way around.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of around
Adverb
  • The legislative push, first reported by The New York Times, aims to show a united Democratic caucus taking quick action on the issues they were elected to solve, especially oppressively high costs on everything from gas to groceries.
    — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The summer had seen Europe endure an oppressively dry, hot summer, which had seen wildfires spring up across the continent.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of oppressively
Adverb
  • That level of detail is what makes a modern invite harder to fake and gives guests the confidence to say 'yes' without second-guessing.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Randle offered a more useful explanation than simply demanding that everyone play harder.
    — C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of hard
Adverb
  • In June, 1848, workers erected barricades on a nearby street, only to be brutally suppressed by government forces.
    — Maurice Samuels, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Earlier this year, after CNN aired an interview with two men who self-identified as groypers, Fuentes brutally mocked the pair on stream—criticizing them for, among other things, their normie footwear.
    — Nathan Taylor Pemberton, Vanity Fair, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of brutally

Browse Nearby Words

rough it
roughly
roughneck
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Cite this Entry

“Roughly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughly. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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