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 An acre-foot is roughly 326,000 gallons, enough to supply two typical households for a year. — Swasti Singhai, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026 China added power to its grid at roughly eight times the US pace in 2025, putting about $500 billion into energy buildout in a single year. — Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The company's founder and CEO owns roughly four out of every 10 SpaceX shares. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 And company executives on Tuesday’s earnings call said that capital spending is expected to remain at roughly the current level over the next two quarters. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for roughly

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughly

Adverb

By adjusting the electron-trapping layer, the researchers could tune the device’s current recovery time across an approximately fivefold range.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 Aug. 2026
That changed during Family Night, when Green Bay had some of its younger players and newcomers do live tackling for approximately 10 plays late in practice.

— Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of approximately

Adverb

Silica particles cause lungs to fight back with fibrotic tissue that builds and builds, severely inhibiting the ability to breathe.

— Howard Berkes, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026
This kind of telescope is ideal for solar work, being a good size aperture to reveal fine detail, but not so large as to be severely affected by daytime atmospheric turbulence.

— Damian Peach, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of severely

Adverb

And then, the organization's chief operating officer, Kevin Lamour, harshly came out against the plan, releasing a statement to the Associated Press, saying FIFA's staff had been blindsided by it.

— Rafael Nam, NPR, 31 July 2026
Like other senior bankers, Sehnaoui was harshly criticized following Lebanon's historic economic meltdown in 2019, when most people lost access to their money.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026

Definition of harshly

Adverb

The Mutiara Sentosa 2 serves the Surabaya-Makassar route, a voyage that typically takes around 40 hours and is primarily used by domestic travelers and cargo transport between the islands of Java and Sulawesi.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
These particles — often no larger than grains of sand — strike Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of around 37 miles (59 km) per second, according to the American Meteor Society, producing streaks of light .

— Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of around

Adverb

Survey respondents said their dwellings stayed oppressively hot even at night because overcrowding and poor construction trapped the heat.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 24 July 2026
Jackie searches for Madi, wondering if her sister is a victim or a killer while maneuvering an oppressively demanding office and reflecting on her own previous crimes.

— Oline H. Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026

Definition of oppressively

Adverb

The notion of zombies went back to that Caribbean nation’s days as a European colony, when huge numbers of largely African slaves were brutally disciplined and frequently worked to death by a white-settler minority.

— Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026
In 2022, four University of Idaho students were brutally stabbed to death in their off-campus home.

— Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 30 July 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 8 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of roughly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on roughly

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

nurture

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes