Meanings
plural roughages · alternative ruffage
- countableuncountableOriginally (archaic), garbage, rubbish, or waste; later (agriculture) the portions of a crop which are discarded, such as husks, stalks, etc.; also, agricultural waste such as weeds.
Antonyms: nonroughage
- countableuncountablenutritionSubstances, generally of plant origin, consisting mostly of complex carbohydrates which are undigested when eaten by humans, and which therefore help the passage of food and waste through the alimentary tract; dietary fibre.
I keep telling her not to eat all that roughage for brekky; prunes, bran, and baked beans.
1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 188Antonyms: nonroughage
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOriginally (archaic), garbage, rubbish, or waste; later (agriculture) the portions of a crop which are discarded, such as husks, stalks, etc.; also, agricultural waste such as weeds.
nounCoarse or rough plant material such as hay and silage used as animal fodder.
nounSubstances, generally of plant origin, consisting mostly of complex carbohydrates which are undigested when eaten by humans, and which therefore help the passage of food and waste through the alimentary tract; dietary fibre.
More synonyms by meaning
nouncoarse, indigestible plant food low in nutrients; its bulk stimulates intestinal peristalsis
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From rough (“not smooth; crude, unrefined”) + -age (suffix forming nouns with the sense of appurtenance or collection).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian груб/твърд материал
- груб/твърд материал (grub/tvărd material)coarse or rough plant material used as animal fodder
Finnish rouhe, karkearehu
- rouhecoarse or rough plant material used as animal fodder
- karkearehucoarse or rough plant material used as animal fodder
- silppucoarse or rough plant material used as animal fodder
German Raufutter
- Raufuttercoarse or rough plant material used as animal fodder
Hindi रुक्षांश, रफ़ेज
- रुक्षांश (rukṣāñś)substances which are undigested when eaten by humans, and which therefore help the passage of food and waste through the alimentary tract — see also dietary fibre
- रफ़ेज (rafej)substances which are undigested when eaten by humans, and which therefore help the passage of food and waste through the alimentary tract — see also dietary fibre
Malay pelawas
- pelawassubstances which are undigested when eaten by humans, and which therefore help the passage of food and waste through the alimentary tract — see also dietary fibre
Polish balast, pasza objętościowa
- balastportions of a crop which are discarded; agricultural waste such as weeds
- pasza objętościowacoarse or rough plant material used as animal fodder
- błonniksubstances which are undigested when eaten by humans, and which therefore help the passage of food and waste through the alimentary tract — see also dietary fibre
Urdu رفیج
- رفیج (rafej)substances which are undigested when eaten by humans, and which therefore help the passage of food and waste through the alimentary tract — see also dietary fibre
Cite this entry
roughage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roughage
“roughage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roughage. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “roughage,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/roughage.
Source: roughage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.