US /ˈɹʌfən/ UK /ˈrʌfən/
verb Freq #178480

Meanings

  1. 1
    verb

    to make a surface rough or rougher

    Roughen the wood lightly so the glue can form a stronger bond.

  2. 2
    verb

    to become rough, uneven, or turbulent

    The sea began to roughen as the wind strengthened.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 verb · to make a surface rough or... coarsenabrade
2 verb · to become rough, uneven, or... coarsenchurn
Opposites
Word family
Forms roughened
Derived forms roughenerroughened
Related forms roughroughnesstexture

Etymology

Formed in English from rough + -en, the verb-forming suffix meaning 'to make or become'.

Topics

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