ROUGHLY Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

roughly

adverb

ˈrə-flē

Definition of roughly

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

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 The majority of Umerova’s roughly 50-person team at the ACDF has lived or studied abroad. — Stephanie Sporn, Vogue, 8 Nov. 2026 The film, a Searchlight Pictures release, launched in 1,100 domestic theaters, a number that will roughly double next weekend. — ABC News, 8 Nov. 2026 Local authorities in Kyiv said that roughly 40% of buildings didn’t have heating as of Saturday. — Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 8 Nov. 2026 More than one in five Americans don’t know that their Social Security checks could be cut by roughly 20% in about six years, according to a recent TIAA survey on Social Security. — Lena Borrelli, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for roughly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughly

Adverb

The earthquake's epicenter was approximately 4 miles northwest of San Jacinto and occurred at a depth of 9 miles.

— CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2026
For their prototype, the researchers built an approximately 100-inch display consisting of a transparent LED film mounted over an aluminum panel, with 80 voice coil motors (VCMs) installed behind it.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 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

The city distributed about 800 sandbags during the event at Marina Green by noon, with officials expecting to hand out at least 1,000 by the end of the day.

— Da Lin, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
And a major academic publisher, Elsevier, reported submissions to its journals jumped about 68% from 2021 to 2025.

— TODD WALLACK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of about

Adverb

Lovingly based on Chéri’s own family history, Wanted whisks the audience into the postbellum south where Black Americans have been given their freedom in name alone, as they are harshly and repeatedly reminded.

— Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Nov. 2026
Mamdani said that treating people who disagree with him harshly or with judgment leads to both sides feeling like there has to be a winner or loser in the debate.

— Juan J. Arroyo, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 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

Allowing political control over grantmaking to become more deeply entrenched would make recovery considerably harder.

— Carole LaBonne, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2026
Just by chance, a guy who does what he is coached to do, continues to work really, really hard and do the right things, the ball somehow finds him.

— Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of hard

Adverb

The wealthy central government—the Capitol—brutally oppresses and exploits the citizens from the outlying districts, who live in poverty and have few rights.

— Sophia Zhang, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Nov. 2026
The murder case against a man accused of brutally beating to death beloved Central Park artist Elise Bainbridge Hill was delayed Tuesday after he was found unfit to stand trial.

— Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of brutally

Browse Nearby Words

rough it

roughly

roughneck

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Roughly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughly. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of roughly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

lissome

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes