noun
-
the coarse indigestible constituents of food or fodder, which provide bulk to the diet and promote normal bowel function See also dietary fibre
-
any rough or coarse material
Etymology
Origin of roughage
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The effects of fibre were first discovered in the 1970s, when it was believed that fibre was just "hard roughage stuff" that helped our bodies get rid of waste, explains Whelan.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
Therefore, the digestive system must be able to handle large amounts of roughage and break down the cellulose.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
It's a time when we focus on our "beach bodies": We're in and out of the gym and then right over to our favorite restaurant for that big bowl of summer roughage.
From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2021
His diet includes mostly carbohydrates, "nightshade" vegetables, MSG, and coffee, for legumes, whole grains, roughage, and a small percent of lean meat.
From Fox News ● Jan. 27, 2021
Bean straw is sometimes given as part of the roughage in Scotland, but not in England.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 6 "Home, Daniel" to "Hortensius, Quintus" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
