abrading 1 of 2

adjective

as in roughening

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

abrading

2 of 2

verb

present participle of abrade
1
as in eroding
to damage or diminish by continued friction ropes abraded by the rocks were a huge danger to the climbers

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in irritating
to make sore by continued rubbing my new running shoes abraded my heels until they blistered

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in scraping
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abrading
Verb
Prior to snapping its selfie, the rover had just finished abrading the rocky Arethusa outcrop. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 13 May 2026 Pockmarks and brittle edges show the abrading action of millennia of wind and rain. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abrading
  1. irritating
  2. eroding
  3. scratching
  4. scraping
  5. wearing
  6. fraying
  7. rubbing
Adjective
  • But for this initial step, Pierre tells mature patients to find a formula that’s gentle, non-irritating, and—if needed—able to remove makeup.
    — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The cold temperature will slow down the enzymes and ease the irritating effects.
    — Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of irritating
Verb
  • Set aside sufficient cash The best way to avoid eroding your savings during a big sell-off is to have enough cash in reserves to manage your expenses, and required withdrawals, for a six to 12-month period.
    — Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Both Warren and Waters have also repeatedly raised concerns over affordability, including housing issues, and accused the administration of eroding consumer finance protections.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of eroding
Verb
  • Lee is forever grunting and scratching and clearing his throat.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
  • People are advised to watch for signs of rodent activity including droppings, gnaw marks, scratching or scurrying sounds and rub marks along baseboards or around entry points.
    — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado Updated October 21, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of scratching
Verb
  • Startup Hamlet has parsed tens of thousands of city council meetings by scraping local governments’ video recordings, tagging comments as friendly or hostile to a potential project.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Writers can upload a script and receive back a copy that is resistant to AI analysis, scraping and training.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of scraping
Verb
  • The deputies involved in the incident were not wearing body cameras.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Investigators say that surveillance video of the kidnapping shows a man wearing black gloves getting out of the same vehicle.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of wearing
Verb
  • Can President Trump hold his fraying coalition together, or will these red flags lead to a blue wave?
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
  • By the late 1960s, confidence in technological progress was fraying.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of fraying
Verb
  • Separating small equipment, personal accessories, and emergency supplies can also help reduce clutter and prevent belongings from rubbing against one another.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
  • After two consecutive championships and more than a decade of rubbing the rest of Major League Baseball’s noses in their extravagant wealth, the Los Angeles Dodgers were not going to be missed.
    — Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of rubbing

Browse Nearby Words

abrades
abrading
abrasion
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abrading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abrading. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All