adv

roughly

RUHF-lee

adv

Approximately; not exactly.

"The trip took roughly three hours."

"There were roughly two hundred people at the event."

In a rough, harsh, or ungentle way.

"He grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her back."

How to Use Roughly

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither "approximately" (roughly three miles) or "in a harsh, forceful manner" (pushed roughly).

Common pairings

roughly speaking roughly equal treated roughly

roughlier comparative, more roughly comparative, roughliest superlative, most roughly superlative

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The trip took _____ three hours.

From rough plus the adverb-forming suffix -ly.

thoroughly