roughly align

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "roughly align" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when describing a situation where things are not perfectly aligned but are close enough for practical purposes. Example: "The two designs roughly align in terms of color scheme, making them suitable for the project."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

7 human-written examples

Elmhurst, whose boundaries roughly align with the 110th Precinct's, is generally a low-crime area.

The New York Times

On the other hand, for the discriminative approaches, in order to roughly align walking direction in GEIs, GEIs with over 180° view angle, were flipped right-to-left based on perspective projection assumption [39], and parameters of CNN or LDA model are trained for data including all view angle data simultaneously.

IPSJ Transactions on Computer Vision and Applications

This, in the end, may be the best little guys can hope for in Washington: to have their interests roughly align with those of powerful players.

Huffington Post

The user is first required to select the volume of interest (registration area), then to roughly align the 3D models.

Plosone

Briefly, on each subject's brain image, a single rater (MEMcN) marked 27 points on the boundaries of the basal ganglia and thalamus in each hemisphere, which were used as an initial step to roughly align the brain image to a labeled standard brain image (template).

F1000Research

It has been shown previously that, while nuclear elongation is sufficient to roughly align homologs, strand exchange at multiple sites along chromosomes is required for precise pairing in Tetrahymena (Lukaszewicz et al. 2010; Howard-Till et al. 2011) as in other organisms (Peoples-Holst and Burgess 2005).

Genetics

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

53 human-written examples

Once two patterns have been roughly aligned globally, it is much easier to use the more sophisticated local alignment (e.g. Rueckert et al., 1999; Sorzano et al., 2005), which is often non-linear and deformable, to register the patterns precisely.

Bioinformatics

What we found roughly aligned with the police explanation.

The New York Times

All three monuments would have been roughly aligned.

Independent

That would explain why the major "Maria" are roughly aligned in three big circles.

Cornell University

Crystallites formed after a prolonged crystallization time exhibited the orientation with a∗-axis roughly aligned perpendicular to the magnetic field.

Polymer

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "roughly align", consider whether the level of precision matters in your context. If exact alignment is crucial, this phrase might be misleading.

Common error

Avoid using "roughly align" when a high degree of accuracy is implied or required. For instance, in engineering or scientific contexts where precision is paramount, a more exact term is necessary.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "roughly align" functions as a modifier indicating an approximate or inexact alignment. It combines the adverb "roughly", indicating approximation, with the verb "align", signifying a directional similarity. Ludwig's examples show its use in describing how elements relate without perfect precision.

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

Science

42%

News & Media

33%

Wiki

8%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Academia

17%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "roughly align" is a grammatically sound expression used to indicate an approximate or inexact alignment. As confirmed by Ludwig, it appears across diverse contexts, including science, news, and general writing. It is best used when describing situations where a general correspondence is sufficient, rather than precise matching. Alternatives like "approximately line up" or "generally correspond" can be used to achieve slight nuances in meaning. Avoid using this phrase when a high degree of accuracy is needed.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

nearly match

Suggests a close resemblance, but not exact.

approximately line up

Focuses on positional similarity but emphasizes a linear arrangement.

parallel in a general way

Emphasizes that two or more things are similar in trend or direction, but not exactly the same.

are in rough correspondence

Highlights that two or more things have similar parts, aspects, or features so that they are related.

generally correspond

Highlights a broad agreement or similarity without strict precision.

come close to alignment

Highlights the proximity to reaching a state of alignment.

loosely associate

Indicates a weak connection or pairing.

tend to converge

Highlights a tendency for two things to eventually become similar.

vaguely coincide

Emphasizes an overlap that is indistinct or unclear.

have a tangential relationship

Suggests a connection at a single point or a superficial level.

FAQs

How can I use "roughly align" in a sentence?

You can use "roughly align" to indicate that two or more things are similar in trend or direction, but not exactly the same. For example, "The project goals "roughly align" with the company's mission."

What does "roughly align" mean?

"Roughly align" means that two or more things are similar or parallel to each other but are not perfectly matched or in exact agreement. It suggests an approximation rather than a precise correspondence.

What are some alternatives to "roughly align"?

Some alternatives to "roughly align" include "approximately line up", "generally correspond", or "nearly match" depending on the context.

In what contexts is it appropriate to use "roughly align"?

It is appropriate to use "roughly align" in contexts where an approximate or inexact similarity is being described, such as in discussions of strategies, plans, or data that do not require precise alignment.