Roughly

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈɹʌf.li/

Definitions

1. In an approximate manner that lacks precision or refinement, conveying an idea that is close to a certain standard or value
2. At a level that indicates a general estimation rather than exactness, while also suggesting some degree of inconsistency or roughness
3. In a manner suggesting an estimation that is not precise, often indicating a lack of detail or smoothness in the information presented

Etymology: "Roughly" is simply "rough" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" attached, and the suffix has a longer ancestry than the base word might suggest. The "-ly" ending descends from an old word meaning "body" or "form," which is why "-like" and "-ly" are related: a "lich" was originally a bodily shape, and adding it to an adjective meant "in the form of" that quality. Over many centuries the Germanic compound *-līkaz wore down through Old English "-līċe" and Middle English "-ly" into the modern suffix. "Rough" is an older and more concrete word, going back through Old English to Germanic roots that originally described uneven, coarse, or irregular surfaces. Attaching "-ly" to it produced a manner word meaning "in a rough way," and the sense shifted from physical unevenness toward the figurative idea of something not finely worked out. That is how "roughly" came to mean "approximately": an estimate is a rough outline rather than a smooth, exact finish.

Synonyms: approximately, about, nearly

Antonyms: exactly, precisely