roughly

adverb

rough·​ly ˈrə-flē 

1

: in a rough manner: such as

a

: with harshness or violence

treated the prisoner roughly

b

: in crude fashion : imperfectly

roughly dressed lumber

2

: without completeness or exactness : approximately

roughly 20 percent

Synonyms

• about
• approximately
• around
• like
• more or less
• much
• near
• plus or minus
• say
• some

Examples of roughly in a Sentence

Roughly translated, it means “hurry up!”.

The new product is modeled roughly on an earlier design.

He threw the package roughly in the truck.

The guard told us roughly that we had to stand back.

Recent Examples on the Web

The scene is roughly the same in the game, though the show's version of Joel is more aggressive; Joel knocks Seth to the ground in the show, but only lightly pushes him in the game. —Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025

Even in families in which the parents earn roughly the same amount, mothers spend six hours more a week on caregiving and housework than fathers do. —Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2025

Irish author Shane Leslie, a passenger on the Oceanic, recalled the discovery of the lifeboat, which was first spotted roughly two miles off the liner’s starboard bow. —Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025

And yet, to take just one example, roughly fifty per cent of Latinos under the age of forty voted for him. —Emma Green, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for roughly

• gruffly