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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 Public budgets have supplied roughly 80% of nature finance since 2010. — Marcene Mitchell, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026 The city, whose population is estimated at roughly 38,000, contracts with the sheriff’s office for police services and, unlike Boise and Meridian, doesn’t have its own city-run police department, Stear noted. — Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026 Teqball resembles, very roughly, the game of sepaktakraw, which is popular in Southeast Asia. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026 And both are too light to lift a child of Gus’ age – roughly 13 kilograms, according to pediatric guidelines. — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 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
  • As detailed on the SAG Health Plan’s eligibility page, the minimum threshold is expected to rise by approximately $900 each year until 2030.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The ecliptic — the path followed approximately by the sun, moon and planets — meets the eastern evening horizon at a particularly shallow angle.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of approximately
Adverb
  • After months of suspension because of fighting, UNIFIL has resumed some of its non-military activities, providing basic medical assistance in areas where access remains severely restricted.
    — Diego Ibarra Sánchez, NPR, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Last week, McClatchy newsrooms were cut severely, leaving fewer journalists than ever to cover the fast-growing hubs of the Central Valley.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of severely
Adverb
  • The 2023 rate was about 58%, the third-lowest of any suburban municipality, meaning the city fell $24 million short of target.
    — A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The more likely outcome is that his payments will raise our annual national deficit, which is projected to reach $2 trillion by the end of the year, by about 50 percent--and add to the country's $40 trillion national debt.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of about
Adverb
  • Some are condemned swiftly and harshly, others are shrugged off almost entirely.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Meta has been judged harshly for spending billions of dollars on AI without becoming a leader in the technology, so Muse’s popularity surprised some, according to Jefferies senior analyst Brent Thill.
    — Ella Chakarian, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of harshly
Adverb
  • More Just last year, individual senators used their powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to vote to block earlier Canada tariffs, but there’s no such option this time around.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Even though Douglas was moving around easily after the game, teams typically don’t know the seriousness of injuries until the player undergoes an MRI a day or two after suffering the injury.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of around
Adverb
  • 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
  • After a bit of a reprieve from an oppressively hot summer, another heat wave is set to scorch Southern California this week.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of oppressively
Adverb
  • The part that makes the idea harder to categorize may also be the part people remember.
    — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Soon, the dance floor filled, with Doja Cat among those going hardest.
    — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of hard
Adverb
  • On Standby follows Sagit, a 33-year-old airport security screener whose brutally honest view of the world and chaotic personal life turn even the most ordinary interactions into painfully funny disasters.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The other was about fear, grief and five young lives brutally taken far too soon.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of brutally

Browse Nearby Words

rough it
roughly
roughneck
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Roughly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughly. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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