Pronunciations (2)
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/ˈɹʌf.li/
Pronunciation notes
- UK
- US
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ˈɹʌf.li
Adverb
In a rough manner; without kindness, softness, or gentleness.
- Examples
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They treated the prisoners roughly [...] slashing pitilessly with their whips to drive them as wretched animals before them.
Unevenly or irregularly.
Without precision or exactness; imprecisely but close to in quantity or amount; approximately.
- Examples
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Satanism can be divided, roughly, into two branches: the Luciferians and the Palladists.
More examples (1)
Of the roughly 400 emerging infectious diseases that have been identified since 1940, more than 60% are zoonotic: ie they came from animals. Throughout history this has been common.
Adverb
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
- Examples
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lasted approximately an hour
in just about a minute
More examples (8)
he's about 30 years old
I've had about all I can stand
we meet about once a month
some forty people came
weighs around a hundred pounds
roughly $3,000
holds 3 gallons, more or less
20 or so people were at the party
with roughness or violence (‘rough’ is an informal variant for ‘roughly’)
- Synonyms
- Examples
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he was pushed roughly aside
they treated him rough
with rough motion as over a rough surface
- Synonyms
- Examples
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ride rough