Synonyms of chafe

chafe 1 of 2

verb

ˈchāf 

1

as in to irritate

to make sore by continued rubbing

ill-fitting boots that had badly chafed my heels

Synonyms & Similar Words

• irritate
• scratch
• scrape
• abrade
• fret
• excoriate
• skin
• gall
• graze
• burn
• peel
• inflame
• flay

2

as in to wear

to damage or diminish by continued friction

constant stepping on a rope will gradually chafe it, rendering it unsafe for rock climbing

Synonyms & Similar Words

• wear
• erode
• fray
• rub
• abrade
• reduce
• fret
• shave
• gall
• erase
• scrape
• bite
• gnaw
• sharpen
• eat
• corrade
• frazzle
• graze
• chew
• corrode
• scour
• rasp
• file
• wipe (away)
• disintegrate
• nibble
• scuff
• grate
• wear out
• sandpaper
• dissolve
• sandblast
• grind
• decompose
• rub out
• whet
• hone
• break down
• break up

3

as in to annoy

to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts

nothing chafes us so much as those telemarketers who call during the dinner hour

Synonyms & Similar Words

• annoy
• bother
• irritate
• bug
• persecute
• aggravate
• exasperate
• irk
• itch
• get
• worry
• spite
• vex
• rile
• eat
• infuriate
• ruffle
• gripe
• grate
• burn (up)
• anger
• pique
• gall
• nark
• frost
• get to
• put out
• wear on
• tease
• plague
• nettle
• peeve
• provoke
• rasp
• hack (off)
• nag
• insult
• rub the wrong way
• offend
• get on one's nerves
• harass
• stick in one's craw
• upset
• get one's goat
• heckle
• hassle
• enrage
• rouse
• discomfort
• set one's teeth on edge
• rankle
• inflame
• agitate
• distress
• pester
• outrage
• roil
• unsettle
• badger
• antagonize
• discompose
• devil
• harry
• undo
• fret
• disquiet
• perturb
• exercise
• madden
• unhinge
• affront
• bait
• incense
• miff
• bullyrag
• freak (out)
• hagride

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• appease
• placate
• oblige
• conciliate
• pacify
• please
• satisfy
• gratify
• delight
• mollify
• assure
• propitiate
• soothe
• comfort
• cheer
• reassure
• content
• gladden
• console
• quiet
• solace

chafe

2 of 2

noun

1

as in indignation

Related Words

• indignation
• anger
• ire
• gall
• umbrage
• dander
• outrage
• dudgeon
• pique
• discomfort
• resentment
• irritability
• huff
• irritation
• perturbation
• trouble
• angriness
• pet
• distress
• upset
• agitation
• irateness
• peeve
• displeasure
• snappishness
• irritableness
• disturbance
• bother
• grief
• exasperation
• frustration
• vexation
• aggravation
• annoyance
• pip
• botheration
• aggro

Dissimilar Words

• pleasure
• delight

2

as in abrasion

Related Words

• abrasion
• scratch
• swelling
• rupture
• wound
• scrape
• strain
• bruise
• contusion
• harm
• hurt
• lesion
• boo-boo
• injury
• detriment
• bump
• burn
• scald
• gash
• laceration
• damage
• disability
• scar
• concussion
• scathe
• sear
• impairment
• cut
• affliction
• disfigurement
• disablement
• defacement

Dissimilar Words

• recovery
• healing
• remedy
• cure
• fix

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of chafe

Verb

Xi came to power after the 2008 protests in Tibet and deadly unrest in Xinjiang, another frontier region of modern China where ethnic minorities have long chafed under Beijing’s rule and witnessed a huge security crackdown. — CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026

But Engelbert often has chafed against the players of the league, especially over the last year amid a contentious collective bargaining period. — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026

Noun

What follows is an absurd reckoning that mixes surreal humor and domestic drama as Shula chafes against her relatives’ hysterical funeral planning. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025

Zwick is such a conventional filmmaker that DiCaprio chafes trying to break out of the Reluctant Hero straitjacket Zwick puts him in. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025