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
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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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When voter registration statistics appear to exceed plausible eligible-population benchmarks, public confidence erodes, even if there is an administrative explanation.—
Reardon Sullivan,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Feb. 2026
-
That erodes the simplicity people often associate with owning physical gold.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There’s another distinctly New York habit that irritates Manville — at the end of the performances, theatergoers leap to their feat, not just to applaud, but to whip out their cellphones to record the curtain call.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
16 Jan. 2026
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Somehow, this irritates Helen even more.—
Sadia Shepard,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Meyer helped design a tracking system that scrapes data from Zillow to detect price hikes greater than 10%.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
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Kgasi makes his way down to one of the vertical surfaces of the pit and scrapes it gently.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Colin cooks Ray meals, sleeps on the floor while Ray takes the bed, lets Ray shave his hair off, and wears a lock on a chain around his neck.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
20 Feb. 2026
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The straight edge feels almost refreshingly new and when Rihanna wears it, the look naturally gains an extra dose of coolness.—
Lina-Marie Baatz,
Glamour,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Light scratches in just the poly can be remedied with a 'restoring' product like Rejuvenate.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
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Article’s Torme desk scratches the itch for office furniture that isn’t sterile or corporate-looking.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Conjuring the troubled inner life of a young, beautiful and successful Buenos Aires fashion designer with an uncommon mix of stylistic rigor and feeling, the film frays your nerves.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abrades.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abrades. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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