as in erodes
to consume or wear away gradually
time has gnawed that author's reputation to the point where he rates little more than a footnote
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Recent Examples of gnaws
The end of his tenure with the Cubs gnaws it him.
—
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gnaws
Verb
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When people fear being replaced or don’t know what’s coming, trust erodes.—
Michael Bush,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
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Others contend that legitimizing him erodes Democratic credibility on antisemitism and other issues, handing Republicans ammunition heading into the midterms.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The kitchen of the restaurant is crawling with maggots, the damp eats away at the tatami mats and wallpaper decorated with a design of a forest landscape.—
Shanti Escalante-De Mattei,
ARTnews.com,
6 Apr. 2026
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Often apologizing in between bites, Beard, 40, eats savagely with his hands, squeezing food and mashing it into his mouth.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gnaws.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gnaws. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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