ROUGHED (UP) Synonyms: 136 Similar and Opposite Words

roughed (up)

verb

past tense of rough (up)

as in licked

to strike repeatedly she was badly roughed up by her boxing partner

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in abused

to abuse physically the photographer claimed that he had been roughed up by the actor's bodyguards outside the club

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for roughed (up)

Verb

Tuxedo kitten Paolina bounced onto my chest and licked my fingers.

— Solvej Schou, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
Her entire face got licked clean off her head when suburban floodwaters breached the cardboard hull protecting Kath’s basement memorabilia stack a few months before I was born.

— Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of licked

Verb

Ireland forward Adam Idah, who is Black, was allegedly racially abused by a small number of Israeli fans present during the first match.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
The girl was found in Mexico along with her father, 38-year-old Sergio Galvez Perez, who authorities allege abused and impregnated her.

— Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of abused

Verb

While four Brewers pitchers combined on a three-hitter and the defense made nearly every big play, Milwaukee’s lineup calmly worked counts, pounded 10 hits through the Padres’ defense and manufactured enough runs to head home smiling.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
But, pounded thin, breaded, and fried, served under lashings of sweet-sharp blackberry sauce, with a confetti of whole blackberries and leaves of mint, the lamb version was brilliant and bizarre, a symphony of strong-willed flavors.

— Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of pounded

Verb

Shortly after, Iran attacked commercial vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz, unraveling the precarious cease-fire the country had struck with the United States three months earlier.

— Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
Russia also attacked warehouse facilities in the Bucha district of the Kyiv region on Friday, wounding three people, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said on Telegram.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of attacked

Verb

San Diego lashed 30 of his 88 pitches for fouls, as Misiorowski’s command and velocity escaped him in the second inning.

— Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
An intruder pressed a knife to Beatty's neck, wrapped her face in tape, lashed her to a bed and assaulted her for hours.

— Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of lashed

Verb

Being manhandled at home by a team with the sport’s sixth-lowest payroll is a negative.

— Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026
He was brought to the prison infirmary, where numerous guards surrounded, punched, kicked, choked, dropped and manhandled him.

— Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of manhandled

Verb

After learning that Manchester whipped Maggie with a cat-o’-nine-tails, Lizzie agrees to help the Borden family’s maid kill her.

— Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
That sort of whipped, inswinging ball from Slater that caused so much havoc is hugely familiar to avid Premier League watchers.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of whipped

Verb

However, the night took a turn when Kanye West ambushed Swift’s acceptance speech, creating one of the most infamous moments in the awards show’s history — and subsequently sparking a years-long feud with Swift.

— Emily Weaver, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2026
Investigators later determined the shooting happened in the area of Pontiac Lake Road and Summit Drive, where the four men were ambushed by several other men armed with assault rifles.

— Paula Wethington, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of ambushed

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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roughed it

roughed (up)

roughen

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“Roughed (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/roughed%20%28up%29. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of roughed (up)

verb

Example Sentences

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