1
as in erodes
to damage or diminish by continued friction
ropes abraded by the rocks were a huge danger to the climbers
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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
-
That reflex delays care and erodes trust.—
Liz Koch,
STAT,
6 Apr. 2026
-
When people fear being replaced or don’t know what’s coming, trust erodes.—
Michael Bush,
Fortune,
1 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
-
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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Glosserman even pointed to a familiar GEICO insurance commercial — featuring a masked killer who, much like Leslie Vernon, wears no shoes and overalls — as an example of how their cult film’s visual language has seeped into the mainstream.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
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To do what was once unthinkable in the fashion the Sabres did this season starts with Dahlin, a leader who wears his heart on his sleeve every night and competes over every inch of the ice.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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From a total solar eclipse lasting almost an hour to the Earth setting behind the moon, the photo dump from NASA just scratches the surface of what's to come.—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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This roundup of attractions just scratches the surface of things to do in Daytona Beach.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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 12 Apr. 2026.
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