Synonyms of abrasive

abrasive

adjective

ə-ˈbrā-siv 

as in annoying

causing annoyance

an abrasive display of rude behavior

Synonyms & Similar Words

• annoying
• irritating
• frustrating
• disturbing
• aggravating
• exasperating
• irksome
• maddening
• vexatious
• painful
• bothersome
• vexing
• nettlesome
• pestilential
• rebarbative
• pestiferous
• pesky
• distractive
• galling
• nettling
• pesty
• pestilent
• chafing
• peeving
• riling
• stressful
• biting
• carking
• plaguey
• rankling
• infuriating
• troublesome
• mischievous
• offensive
• burdensome
• displeasing
• troubling
• importunate
• upsetting
• discomforting
• disquieting
• distressing
• tiresome
• enraging
• brattish
• bratty
• grating
• jarring
• angering
• spiny
• inconveniencing
• worrisome
• trying
• thorny
• importune
• jangling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• delightful
• pleasing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of abrasive

Chase has long had a reputation in Hollywood for being difficult to work with, with multiple former co-stars and collaborators alleging abrasive, confrontational and inappropriate behavior over the years. — Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026

What Not To Use Abrasive Sponges Avoid scrubbing the microwave’s interior with rough materials like steel wool or abrasive sponges. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 26 July 2026

But the confidence of this hard pivot and the thrillingly oddball noise construction absolutely hail from the same world as QT and SOPHIE’s exquisitely abrasive 2015 compilation, Product. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 24 July 2026

For Yard Act’s 2022 debut, The Overload, the quartet chiseled flamboyant caricatures of British life and portrayed their flawed country with an abrasive, punishing tone. — Victoria Borlando, Pitchfork, 24 July 2026

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