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roughly — approximately; not exactly or precisely

Part of speech: ADVERB

Definition: approximately; not exactly or precisely

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈrʌfli/

Example Sentences

  • My boss roughly calculated that I've spilled coffee on my shirt roughly 47 times this month.
  • The population of this city is roughly 2 million people.
  • He roughly grabbed the sandwich like it owed him money.

roughly

ADVERB

[/ˈrʌfli/]

approximately; not exactly or precisely

He roughly sketched the mountain in under a minute.
💡 Concept

He roughly sketched the mountain in under a minute.

Roughly judging the distance, shouting toughly, answering gruffly!
🎵 Rhyme

Roughly judging the distance, shouting toughly, answering gruffly!

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈrʌfli/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈrʌfli/

🌳Etymology

Rootrough
Suffix--ly

Origin

From Middle English 'rough' (uneven, coarse), derived from Old Norse 'rúfr' meaning rough or coarse, combined with the adverbial suffix '-ly' which comes from Old English '-lice' meaning 'in the manner of'.

Breakdown

rough (uneven, coarse) + -ly (in the manner of, to a degree) = roughly (in a rough manner; approximately)

🎵Rhyme

toughly
gruffly

🔗Collocations

roughly speaking
roughly equal
roughly estimate
treat roughly
roughly equivalent
roughly half

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“My boss roughly calculated that I've spilled coffee on my shirt roughly 47 times this month.”

“The population of this city is roughly 2 million people.”

😄 Fun example

“He roughly grabbed the sandwich like it owed him money.”

“Roughly translated, that sign says 'Do not feed the pigeons.'”

📚Related Words

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