as in roughening
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1
as in eroding
to damage or diminish by continued friction
ropes abraded by the rocks were a huge danger to the climbers
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2
as in irritating
to make sore by continued rubbing
my new running shoes abraded my heels until they blistered
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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
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Recent Examples of abrading
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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
Verb
-
Despite nationwide polls showing eroding support, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán retains strong backing in rural communities and among older Hungarians, who credit him with representing their interests and maintaining national pride.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
In the years following the departure of Ailes, many critics further assailed the network for eroding any line between news reporting and commentary and political advocacy.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sure, there are worse problems to have in life, but there’s no denying that fruit flies are irritating.—
Christine Fiorentino,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Oklahoma City is irritating, but never stops winning.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In photo after photo, video after video, North Shore residents are painted in mud, scraping it off driveways, sweeping it out of kitchens and heaving it into trucks along with their household debris.—
Thomas Heaton,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Process for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until the mixture is smooth and sticky.—
Laura Mclively,
Mercury News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That moment came courtesy of a guy wearing a Cubs uniform, but Monday grew up in Santa Monica and delivered his spontaneous commemoration of Flag Day in the year of America’s bicentennial.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
-
And the University of San Francisco issued a public safety warning to students after a man wearing Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses was suspected of filming women with the intention of posting the videos online.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Pine-Sol removes that grime without scratching the appliances.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Pulido told the crowd, before scratching his signature onto the brim and handing it to Jimena, who pumped it in the air and shrieked with joy.—
Jesús Rodríguez,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Knowles keeps the atmosphere leaden when the story surfaces in the present, in which Willy is 63, fraying with disappointment and banged up from several car crashes out on his long runs — events that his family is starting to fear aren’t accidents.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
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This mischievous psychothriller takes that premise to new, nerve-fraying levels.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As the court moved to watch the KSTU-TV segment, Tyler Robinson appeared to begin fidgeting, with one of his hands moving and rubbing his fingers back and forth.—
Stepheny Price , Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
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Sara Aparacio, a resident cleaning expert at Homeaglow, equates scrubbing an appliance with an abrasive sponge to rubbing it with very fine sandpaper.—
Maria Sabella,
The Spruce,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abrading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abrading. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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