abrading 1 of 2

adjective

as in roughening

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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

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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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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
  • December 22 – January 19 A small adjustment could make your whole day less irritating.
    — Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
  • The irritating and inflammatory nature of the smog caused hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers to become short of breath or to develop symptoms from underlying heart disease.
    — Rebecca Florsheim, STAT, 17 July 2026
Definition of irritating
Verb
  • Herd immunity, which once protected even those who could not be vaccinated — the very young, the pregnant, the immunocompromised — is steadily eroding.
    — Mara Evans, STAT, 27 July 2026
  • Absent communication often leads to assumptions of indifference or disrespect, eroding trust and fostering hostility.
    — Alejandro Cárdenas Villa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of eroding
Verb
  • Instagram user lucky_charmedcourt posted a series of six videos earlier this week chronicling a woman with an apparent skin condition scratching her foot.
    — Perri Ormont Blumberg, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026
  • Abrasive materials or cleaners, like steel wool and scouring pads, could risk damaging or scratching the glass and should also be avoided.
    — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 25 July 2026
Definition of scratching
Verb
  • There's this near total erasure based on what the AI, just scraping Instagram, scraping faces, scraping the kind of racial hierarchies and preferences that are built into every system in our country.
    — Tonya Mosley, NPR, 22 July 2026
  • Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 July 2026
Definition of scraping
Verb
  • Just running around wearing cloaks, slinking into and out of castles, slicing the throats of all who cross her.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 27 July 2026
  • Ser Criston moves from flail to sword to dagger, wearing nothing but his padded gambeson.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of wearing
Verb
  • If literacy is a key part of the American story, that narrative seems to be fraying at the edges.
    — Austin Sarat, The Conversation, 23 July 2026
  • This is true for the reasons outlined above (lack of safety features and fraying cords), but also because the bulbs get extremely hot.
    — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 17 July 2026
Definition of fraying
Verb
  • Schmitt was visibly shaken up and could be seen rubbing his left knee in discomfort.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
  • About 30 seconds under running water, while gently rubbing the produce with your hands, does far more than a passive soak.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 27 July 2026
Definition of rubbing

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abrades
abrading
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Cite this Entry

“Abrading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abrading. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on abrading

Nglish: Translation of abrading for Spanish Speakers

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