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
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Recent Examples of rubbed
Sylvie Bigar, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
And that really rubbed committee members last cycle the wrong way and may have worked against them.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Ryder’s father, Michael Horowitz, was an author and fixture of the '60s counterculture who rubbed elbows with titans like Allen Ginsberg and Timothy Leary — the latter of whom became Ryder’s godfather.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026
Esperantist doctors rubbed shoulders with members of the International League of Blind Esperantists, and the World Association of Esperantist Non-smokers edged in on the Ukrainian Esperanto Association.
—Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
The fan, who was on the other side of the fence at eye level, immediately rubbed it in with an insult.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 22 May 2026
The man kissed and touched his neck and rubbed his genitals against Gilboa-Dalal.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 14 May 2026
At one point in the video, Bravo affectionately rubbed Barone’s back as the pair stood close together chatting.
—Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
The girl buried her head into Blair, who rubbed circles on her back.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Verb
The reef fish was often rubbed with salt and mixed with seaweed and a traditional candlenut relish called inamona.
—Sylvie Bigar, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
And that really rubbed committee members last cycle the wrong way and may have worked against them.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 29 May 2026
Ryder’s father, Michael Horowitz, was an author and fixture of the '60s counterculture who rubbed elbows with titans like Allen Ginsberg and Timothy Leary — the latter of whom became Ryder’s godfather.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026
Esperantist doctors rubbed shoulders with members of the International League of Blind Esperantists, and the World Association of Esperantist Non-smokers edged in on the Ukrainian Esperanto Association.
—Katie Thornton, Harpers Magazine, 26 May 2026
The fan, who was on the other side of the fence at eye level, immediately rubbed it in with an insult.
—Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 22 May 2026
The man kissed and touched his neck and rubbed his genitals against Gilboa-Dalal.
—Matt Bradley, NBC news, 14 May 2026
At one point in the video, Bravo affectionately rubbed Barone’s back as the pair stood close together chatting.
—Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
The girl buried her head into Blair, who rubbed circles on her back.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbed
Adjective
-
The rooms 77 villas, all spacious, sleek and polished in varying shades of oak.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
-
The strongest theme is admiration for creator Kane Pixels (Parsons) with many viewers expressing disbelief that such a polished theatrical experience came from a filmmaker barely out of his teens.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
While Google canceled its plan to fully deprecate third-party cookies in Chrome, opting instead for a user-choice model, the signal has already been significantly eroded.—
John Readman,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Corbett says that deputy gangs do not exist in the department, that in the past cliques and subgroups have existed, and that focus on the issue has eroded public trust and deputies’ morale.—
Sierra van der Brug,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
How humans write, speak, code and compose was easily scraped off the internet, but the bots need more information to master how to stand, step, lift, squeeze, pour and perform other physical movements.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
-
Text, images, and videos could be easily scraped from the internet at an industrial scale.—
Robert Hart,
The Verge,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Lackey’s early endorsement of the bill smoothed a legislative effort that could have gotten complicated, Bryan said.—
Andrew Graham
May 28,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
-
He has not been smoothed by the sandpaper of Washington just yet.—
Rob Crilly,
The Washington Examiner,
19 May 2026
Adjective
-
Her floor-length skirt, which showed off a glimpse of her towering cream platform sandals, was covered in the same glistening embellishments as well as fringe tiers.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
26 May 2026
-
His uniform and scalp were lined with glistening rivulets of oil, water, soot and sweat.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
As Rosalind disguised as a boy, Adele wore a bolo tie and a low-slung gun belt with a six-shooter.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Fanny wore a belt strapped across her narrow hips, her eyes clear and bright, jewels on her nails, a cigarette often tucked into her belt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
But even slightly sanded down, their work puts other games to shame.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
29 May 2026
-
The denim may have never been worn but it is stonewashed, sanded, chemically faded or laser-treated to look like it.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Next, mosquitoes were given a choice between two human hands − one untreated and one coated with DEET at normal concentrations.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
Bathrooms are coated with marble and feature a tub and shower, both stocked with Diptyque toiletries in pump bottles and bath salts with loofahs.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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