roughly no one

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "roughly no one" is not standard in written English and may cause confusion.
It can be used informally to suggest that very few or no people are involved in a situation, but it is better to use clearer expressions. Example: "In the meeting, roughly no one agreed with the proposal, leading to its rejection."

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

1. Trail Mix: A serving of store-bought trail mix is a measly quarter-cup, a serving size that roughly no one will stick to.

Huffington Post

Scrivener noted that "The vellum has fallen into holes in many places, and since the ink peels off for very age whensoever a leaf is touched a little roughly, no one is allowed to handle the manuscript except for good reasons".

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

They called themselves "natural philosophers," and their motto was "Nullius in verba": roughly, take no one's word for anything.

The New York Times - Books

But this summer I packed up my new cookbooks and sent them off — and was quite lucky to receive them, inasmuch as they disappeared for ten days and had to be dug out of the customs shed at the Milan airport, where they were held for commercial duty on the ground (roughly translated) that "no one person has that many cookbooks".

The New Yorker

Its assets have been valued at roughly $500bn £262.9bnn), though no one knows for sure.

The Guardian - Opinion

Kobe Bryant earns about thirty million dollars a year to play basketball; Alex Rodriguez, baseball's highest-paid player, is earning roughly that this year, although no one but him seems happy about it.

The New Yorker

Though restaurateurs raised eyebrows at Per Se's roughly $12 million construction cost, no one is gloating over its misfortune, perhaps because the fire is now helping some competitors.

The New York Times

In New Mexico, where the expansion would add 208,000 people to the program and bring in roughly $5 billion through 2022, no one was surprised that Ms. Martinez decided to go the way she did.

The New York Times

Though the artist says he repeated the chorus, "We'll occupy the streets, we'll occupy the courts, we'll occupy the offices of you, till you do the bidding of the many, not the few," for roughly forty-five minutes, remarkably, no one at the dinner seemed to have noticed.

The New Yorker

Loggerhead females return to nest on roughly the same stretch of beach they themselves hatched on, though no one knows precisely how this internal GPS is programmed.

The New York Times - Magazine

No one has precise figures on how many of the roughly 40,000 obstetricians in the United States are leaving their practices, although several surveys are under way.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When aiming for clarity and precision, prefer alternatives like "almost no one" or "virtually nobody" over "roughly no one". This ensures your message is easily understood.

Common error

Avoid using "roughly no one" in formal writing. While it might be acceptable in casual conversation, opt for more professional alternatives like "almost no one" or "very few people" in business reports or academic papers.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "roughly no one" functions as a quantifier, specifically indicating an approximate absence of people. It combines an adverb of approximation ("roughly") with a pronoun indicating absence ("no one"). This serves to soften the absolute nature of "no one". Ludwig confirms that similar phrases exist, while recommending more common options.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Wiki

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "roughly no one" is used to indicate that almost nobody is involved in a given situation. While grammatically acceptable, it is relatively uncommon and may sound less precise than alternatives like "almost no one" or "practically nobody". Ludwig's analysis of example sentences shows that this phrase appears in news and media sources, but it's crucial to consider more formal options for professional or academic writing. Ludwig AI suggests that using clearer, more common expressions enhances understanding and credibility.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

almost nobody

Replaces "no one" with "nobody" and "roughly" with "almost", slightly reducing formality.

practically nobody

Substitutes "roughly" with "practically", implying a near-zero quantity.

virtually nobody

Emphasizes the nearness to zero using "virtually" instead of "roughly".

almost no one

A more direct synonym, replacing "roughly" with "almost".

hardly anyone

Replaces "no one" with "anyone" and "roughly" with "hardly", indicating a scarcity.

scarcely anyone

Uses "scarcely" to emphasize the small number of people involved.

barely anyone

Uses "barely" to highlight the minimal presence of people.

next to no one

Expresses near absence with the phrase "next to".

very few people

Breaks down the phrase to specify "very few" instead of a negative quantifier.

hardly any people

Similar to "hardly anyone", specifying "people" instead of "anyone".

FAQs

What does "roughly no one" mean?

The phrase "roughly no one" means that practically nobody or almost nobody is involved or present in a particular situation. It indicates a very small number, close to zero.

Is "roughly no one" grammatically correct?

While not strictly incorrect, "roughly no one" is less common than alternatives like "almost no one" or "virtually nobody". Using the alternatives may improve clarity.

What are some alternatives to "roughly no one"?

You can use alternatives like "almost nobody", "practically nobody", or "virtually nobody" to convey a similar meaning.

When should I use "roughly no one"?

The phrase "roughly no one" is more appropriate in informal contexts. In formal writing, consider using more precise and widely accepted alternatives such as "almost no one" or "very few people".