roughen

[ ruhf-uhn ]
See synonyms for roughen on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with or without object)
  1. to make or become rough or rougher.

Origin of roughen

1
First recorded in 1580–90; rough + -en1

Other words from roughen

  • rough·en·er, noun
  • un·rough·ened, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use roughen in a sentence

  • He turned fiercely on Chauncy, his face swelling and darkening, his crooked eye flashing, and his voice roughening.

    Fighting the Sea | Edward A. Rand
  • In architecture and jewellery it means simply roughening in a decorative manner.

  • The various processes by which land areas are modified lead in general to a roughening of the surface.

    North America | Israel C. Russell
  • What are mouldings and frets and carvings but a roughening of otherwise smooth surfaces?

  • Beyond and about roll the mountains, in swells and billows of green, roughening into grey and the finishing white.

British Dictionary definitions for roughen

roughen

/ (ˈrʌfən) /


verb
  1. to make or become rough

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012