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
Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
But this one in particular rubbed him the wrong way.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
Police reported that Zagorac touched the student’s rear, put his hand under his shirt and rubbed his back and fondled him outside his clothing after calling him up to the teacher’s desk to talk about an assignment.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
On her knees, the older woman massaged her scalp then rubbed her elbows.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
After the spontaneous plea, Ragan rubbed his head with his hands, which were handcuffed.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
Cole, a Belgian gelding who’s about 12 years old, calmly stood tied to a rope in the barn on the Kuehls’ property as visitors walked up to him and rubbed above his nose.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
Similar blends were offered in innovative finishes, including those rubbed with salt or washed.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 23 Jan. 2026
They can be brined, rubbed, breaded, smoked, or deep-fried and then dipped or drizzled with a seemingly endless number of sauces.
—Matt Moore, Southern Living, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
After Landfair climbed into Kelly’s lap and rubbed his head — following the precise instructions Sparkle had given her — Kelly eagerly accepted her innocent request.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2026
But this one in particular rubbed him the wrong way.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
Police reported that Zagorac touched the student’s rear, put his hand under his shirt and rubbed his back and fondled him outside his clothing after calling him up to the teacher’s desk to talk about an assignment.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2026
On her knees, the older woman massaged her scalp then rubbed her elbows.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
After the spontaneous plea, Ragan rubbed his head with his hands, which were handcuffed.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2026
Cole, a Belgian gelding who’s about 12 years old, calmly stood tied to a rope in the barn on the Kuehls’ property as visitors walked up to him and rubbed above his nose.
—Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2026
Similar blends were offered in innovative finishes, including those rubbed with salt or washed.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 23 Jan. 2026
They can be brined, rubbed, breaded, smoked, or deep-fried and then dipped or drizzled with a seemingly endless number of sauces.
—Matt Moore, Southern Living, 13 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbed
Adjective
-
While sneakers have long been the walking shoe of choice among celebrities, fashion stylist Chelsea Hollenbeck recently told PEOPLE that 2026 favors its polished counterpart.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The Carolina Pant, now marked down 32 percent, is made from a wool blend designed to protect against winter drafts, with a flattering high-rise fit that’s ideal for tucking in your most polished tops.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
For years, the LDP has been weighed down by election losses, stubborn inflation and political scandals, which have eroded public trust even as its new leader’s popularity surges.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Critics, however, countered that Kamau's political identity does not exempt him from basic legal standards and that the case was one of several controversies that eroded confidence in his administration.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Unlike other models on the market that are fed large datasets scraped from the internet, Firefly Foundry models — which are being marketed to businesses as opposed to regular consumers — are unique to each of Adobe’s clients and only trained on IP that clients own the rights to.—
Charles Pulliam-Moore,
The Verge,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Training data for the models is often a messy patchwork assembled from millions of sources, much of it scraped from the open web.—
Craig S. Smith,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In subsequent phases, the ICRC smoothed returns of the deceased, including 27 of 28 hostages and 360 Palestinians.—
Nidal al-Mughrabi,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Winston Churchill’s memoirs smoothed these memories over, and this still misleads us.—
Eliot A. Cohen,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In Manhattan, a celery root ice cream floats in a briny celeriac soda at Smithereens, and at Echelon in Ann Arbor, Michigan, savory corn ice cream gets topped with a glistening dollop of caviar.—
Charlie Kolodziej,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Curving around the glistening, glacial Sarmiento Lake, an amphitheater of rooms gazes up at the Paine massif, with scenes constantly shifting depending on the time of day.—
Sarah Marshall,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
On Christmas Day in 2025, the little princess wore her long blonde hair partially pulled back in a half-ponytail tied with ribbon for the royal family's church outing at Sandringham.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The listening second graders, most of whom wore uniforms (light-blue polo shirts, dark-blue pants and skirts) were sitting on a rug decorated with eighth notes, piano keys, and a second-grader-size treble clef.—
Adam Iscoe,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Earlier in the season, there was a minor controversy over whether the film’s changes to the source material — making its hero less explicitly racist and less complicit in the victimization of a Chinese laborer — sanded down the tale’s rough edges.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Wood floors are durable in that they can be sanded and refinished.—
Mary Grace Granados
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Transfer Dough to a large bowl coated with baking spray, turning to grease top; cover with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place (75°F) until doubled in size, 1 to 1 hour, 30 minutes.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Paired with the Country Fried Steak, an 8-ounce beef steak lightly coated, fried, and topped with white gravy, the table has something substantial that holds up as the game stretches on.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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