Synonyms of honing

honing

verb

present participle of hone

1

as in sharpening

to make sharp or sharper

honed the knife's blade to razor-like sharpness

honed his crossword-puzzle skills by reading the dictionary as though it were a thrilling novel

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sharpening
• grinding
• edging
• whetting
• stoning
• stropping
• filing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• blunting
• polishing
• dulling
• smoothing
• buffing
• rounding
• burnishing
• glossing

2

as in rubbing

to make smooth by friction

honed the edge of the axe until it was amazingly sharp

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rubbing
• polishing
• sharpening
• grinding
• filing
• sanding
• buffing
• scraping
• rasping
• scouring
• planing
• smoothing
• shining
• burnishing
• glossing
• sandblasting
• edging
• whetting
• stropping
• regrinding
• dressing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• scuffing
• roughening
• roughing (up)
• coarsening

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of honing

Michael Kors has also been honing a warmer, more residential feel in its stores. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 30 Oct. 2026

And Clark, who has spent years honing her skills on Lake Erie, can't wait to see how her own fishing knowledge stacks up. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

And while not everyone has been happy with such a major shift, notably all those pentathletes who spent years honing their equestrian skills, the sport deemed it a necessary disturbance in order to maintain its status as an Olympic event. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026

That downtime consists of school drop-offs, volunteering for lunch duty at his kids’ school, coaching his son’s flag-football team and honing his skills on the grill. — Jaclyn Hendricks, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2026

Focus on honing your craft and letting your work speak for itself. — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2026

Pre-reading skills, for example, are easier to develop in the language a child has been honing since birth. — Kate Sequeira, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

Some of us would like to spend less time cursing sun damage, some of us have been honing a gentle routine for managing acne for years, and some of us want to smooth without exacerbating rosacea or eczema. — Elizabeth Siegel, Allure, 17 Sep. 2026

Hernandez has spent the last five years honing his skills as a mixed-martial arts fighter, winning his way through professional matches, all while holding his primary job as a sheriff’s deputy. — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026