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Glite Dictionary
to roughen up

to roughen up

1 5.7
To make a surface not smooth or a person tougher
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈrʌfən ʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : endurecer
  • "You're looking satisfied with yourself," she said, roughing up his neck fur, so thick and full it was almost a mane.

Examples

  • I could see her face full-on for that moment as she turned: the dark hair roughed up and the light blue eyes focused hard on something, but you couldn't tell what; she was looking at me and beyond me.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • To make the surface more acceptable for painting, you should roughen up the drywall with sandpaper.

  • If your opponent isn't ready, a few tough training sessions will help to roughen up his skills on the field.

  • The coach believes the new players need to be roughened up a bit to handle the intensity of the league.

Synonyms

to toughen up
vsto roughen up
  • Informal
17 4.2

To become or to make someone mentally stronger and less hurt by criticism

can also mean making surfaces rougher or making someone more aggressive
to toughen
vsto roughen up
15 3.9

To make a person or thing stronger so it can handle hard situations

also can mean making surfaces rougher or increasing aggression in people
to coarsen
vsto roughen up
2 6.5

Make or become rough in texture and manners

focuses more on rough surfaces or making people aggressive than on refinement
to roughen
vsto roughen up
2 4.2

To make a surface not smooth so it feels bumpy

also means making someone more aggressive rather than only changing texture

Antonyms

to calm down
  • Informal
594 1.4

To become less angry, excited, or upset

to soften
50 3.1

Make something less strong or harsh

How Rough

to rasp
  • Specialized
1 7.8
to abrade
5 8.1
to roughen up
  • Informal
1 5.7
to scrape
62 1.2
to scuff
12 3.6

Surface Forms

roughen up infinitive
roughened up past
roughened up past participle
roughening up present participle
roughens up third person singular

Morphology

roughen + up

The primary meaning 'to make something rougher' is directly derivable from 'roughen' (to make rough) plus the particle 'up' indicating completion/intensification. The extended sense 'to make someone tougher or more aggressive' is a straightforward metaphorical extension of the literal sense and follows common verb+up patterns in English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

Roughen up shows the simple image of making something 'more rough': you rub sandpaper to roughen a smooth board, and the up part shows the roughness getting stronger. By the same image, to roughen up a person means to make them 'tougher' or more aggressive, as when a coach uses hard training.