as in polished
having a shiny surface or finish
the rubbed brass of the wall sconce showed my reflection
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in eroded
to damage or diminish by continued friction
the brake pads were rubbed away as a result of years of use
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in scraped
to make smooth by friction
the furniture restorer rubbed the board perfectly smooth with sandpaper
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in smoothed
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure
the butler rubbed the silver tea set until it gleamed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbed
Adjective
-
And so while polished OS betas that are clearly for public use are one thing, don’t stretch the point too far.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025 -
Onscreen, Supergirl has historically been portrayed as a kind, good-hearted, polished girl — not dissimilar to Superman, in fact.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
Verb
-
But yet over the course of the 20th century, that land base eroded and in some instances slowly, but then in other instances rapidly.—
Tax Notes Staff,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Although economists continue to predict that growing numbers of jobs will require education beyond high school, public trust in the value of higher education has significantly eroded.—
Matt Gandal,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
These models are trained on vast, unlicensed datasets scraped from internet and music platforms.—
Virginie Berger,
Forbes,
30 Dec. 2024
-
However, Large Language Models have scraped most of the data that is easily available Expect 2025 to show increasing efforts to obtain data, whether these are business contracts to acquire data, labeling systems to curate yet-untapped data, deploying more sensors, and so on.—
Nisha Talagala,
Forbes,
30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
There are no massive resorts or glossy beach clubs (yet), and prices are much lower.—
Jordi Lippe-McGraw,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
As the Trump administration attempts to return the country to the Gilded Age, however, which for most of us will not resemble the glossy Julian Fellowes drama, Gale’s work seems again relevant.—
Deborah Williams
July 14,
Literary Hub,
14 July 2025
Verb
-
The mac and cheese is coated with buttery bubbly cheese and is just as comforting for these colder months.—
Kaitlyn Rosati,
New York Daily News,
25 Dec. 2024
-
The outer surfaces were then sanded, covered with rice paper, coated, painted, and polished to a smooth hydrodynamic finish.—
David Szondy,
New Atlas,
25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Best Nordstrom Anniversary Sale accessory deals Some pretty wild things are going on over in the accessories department, where high-summer necessities like city bags and sleek sunglasses are up to 45% off.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
8 July 2025
-
Amazon $79 Nothing Nothing's Ear (a) (8/10, WIRED Recommends) deliver AirPods Pro-like sound in fun Pikachu-yellow with comfy silicone tips, plus a sleek charging case rarely seen at this price.—
Parker Hall,
Wired News,
8 July 2025
Verb
-
Lunging, the righty grounded it to shortstop, resulting in the inning-ending double play.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
After the Ethiopia crash, 737 Max jets were grounded worldwide until the company redesigned the system.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
Pop a satin version on top of your usual night-out curls to make the 'do feel glamorous.—
Jasmine Washington,
Seventeen,
18 Jan. 2023
-
From satin pillowcases to a hydrating moisturizer, all of these products are on sale for less than $25.—
Isabel Garcia,
Peoplemag,
13 Jan. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Rubbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share