1
as in erodes
to damage or diminish by continued friction
ropes abraded by the rocks were a huge danger to the climbers
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
3
as in scrapes
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface
the yacht's once-flawless wooden hull had been badly abraded by years of rough dockings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abrades
Each time clothes rub against each other in the washer, the friction abrades the fibers slightly causing the surface to look dull.
—
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2025
Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abrades
Verb
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Others warned holding funding flat without hearing the district’s needs erodes trust and leaves key decisions about staffing, resources and student support happening without transparency.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
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Inflation erodes the coin’s buying power every year.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Castor Oil Castor oil irritates the digestive system of the moles and makes the soil less inviting to them.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
7 Mar. 2026
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Weed pollen typically irritates people in the late summer and early fall.—
Seth Jacobson,
wickedlocal.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Avery Sullivan, with whom Morris also plays in the country-rock band Fust, keeps loose time on drums, tapping the snare like someone setting down coffee mugs while Libby Rodenbough scrapes out a few melody lines on her fiddle and colors empty spaces with some ghostly tremolo.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
1 Apr. 2026
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To show me, Max reaches a metal pick into a tank of clear water and scrapes a white line that seems to hover in the center of the tank.—
Blair Braverman,
Outside,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Isabella is thin and tall, and wears high heels and low-cut dresses.—
T. M. Brown,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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Prince Harry wears a serious expression with an earpiece at the Kyiv Security Forum in Kyiv, Ukraine on April 23.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For a child who scratches through the night or wakes up with irritated patches, that difference in breathability is meaningful.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
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But this satirical peek into Silicon Valley's tech bubble barely scratches the surface of the depravity and dysfunction to come.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The coalition of supporters frays Still another issue is conflict within the legalization movement itself, particularly between the business and activist wings.—
William Garriott,
The Conversation,
17 Apr. 2026
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This particular aspect of the show frays the gripping tone that had been so masterfully crafted from its opening scene.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
22 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abrades.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abrades. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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