Synonyms of erode

erode

verb

i-ˈrōd 

1

as in to eat

to consume or wear away gradually

the fear that inflation will continue to erode people's savings

Synonyms & Similar Words

• eat
• destroy
• corrode
• ruin
• bite (at)
• gnaw
• dissolve
• decompose
• disintegrate
• wreck
• fret
• nibble
• decimate
• waste
• devastate
• break down
• break up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restore
• revive
• renew
• revitalize
• regenerate
• rejuvenate
• refresh
• recreate
• freshen
• refreshen

2

as in to wear

to damage or diminish by continued friction

the winds and desert sands have eroded much of the original surface of these ancient monuments

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of erode

The condition can quietly erode daily function, from reading and driving to focused work on a screen. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Actions by either side that are intended as limited coercion, signaling, or leverage might be misread, thus triggering a self-reinforcing action-reaction cycle in which each side’s effort to restore deterrence instead erodes it. — Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2026

Along the central coast, waves and high-tide flooding eroded bluffs. — Gary Griggs, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2026

That’s why enamel can’t heal the way skin or bone can, and why your body can’t replace any part that wears away or erodes. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026