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
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.
Recent Examples of rubbed
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Eisenberg walked to Shawn and rubbed his balding head affectionately.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Or the mood might call for ripping into smoky lamb shoulder, rubbed with baharat (Lebanese seven spice) and rendered to a consistency somewhere wonderfully between melty and ropy.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Pet owners can get infected when flea poop enters the body through cuts or scrapes in the skin, or if rubbed into the eyes.
—Joyann Jeffrey, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
UConn’s success, coupled with Hurley’s personality, has rubbed more than a few folks the wrong way.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
After a half-hour of this, Didier emptied out much of the salt and vigorously rubbed the interior of the pan with a kitchen towel.
—Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2026
Where there hadn't been any beef between the singers before recording the song, a chasm formed between them as industry politics rubbed them the wrong way.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Mar. 2026
And Jesse Leasure, who was drenched in pepper spray and felt like his skin was on fire and as though someone had rubbed his eyeballs with sandpaper.
—Olivia George, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2026
Verb
What to look for in an arnica gel Some arnica gels have a slight odor that dissipates when exposed to the air and rubbed into your skin.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
Eisenberg walked to Shawn and rubbed his balding head affectionately.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Or the mood might call for ripping into smoky lamb shoulder, rubbed with baharat (Lebanese seven spice) and rendered to a consistency somewhere wonderfully between melty and ropy.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Pet owners can get infected when flea poop enters the body through cuts or scrapes in the skin, or if rubbed into the eyes.
—Joyann Jeffrey, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
UConn’s success, coupled with Hurley’s personality, has rubbed more than a few folks the wrong way.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
After a half-hour of this, Didier emptied out much of the salt and vigorously rubbed the interior of the pan with a kitchen towel.
—Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2026
Where there hadn't been any beef between the singers before recording the song, a chasm formed between them as industry politics rubbed them the wrong way.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Mar. 2026
And Jesse Leasure, who was drenched in pepper spray and felt like his skin was on fire and as though someone had rubbed his eyeballs with sandpaper.
—Olivia George, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbed
Adjective
-
While this top looks polished when tucked into jeans or linen pants, its baby-doll cut is also ideal for leaving the shirt untucked, too.—
Jasmine Gomez,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
-
What Mars, 40, has crafted – a polished, choreographed production that spotlights the showmanship in his DNA – is the ultimate feel-good show.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Those scripts have been eroded.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Those recurring errors have eroded trust between the Medicaid program and the lawmakers overseeing its ever-increasing costs.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
LinkedIn says Teamfluence distributed a browser extension that scraped LinkedIn user data in violation of the user agreement and that its LinkedIn accounts were suspended.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Three YouTube channels, h3h3Productions, MrShortGame Golf, and Golfaholics, are suing Apple over claims that the iPhone maker scraped videos without permission to train its AI models.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The looming canyon nearly obscures sunlight, and sinuous, layered stone reveals warm burgundy, grey, and violet striations smoothed by centuries of flooding.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Fronting the glittering waters of the Atlantic, the Louis XIII-style promenade is currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar renewal, its granite tiles buffed and smoothed, vegetation planted, and its sea lions by sculptor José Fioravanti returned to their former glory.—
Siobhan Reid,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The facade, designed by renown Disney Imagineer Rolly Crump and inspired by Blair, mixes glistening white metals and fiberglass with gold leaf accents that nod to the Eiffel Tower, Tower of Pisa, a Dutch windmill and more.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
My colleagues, meanwhile, used forceps to pick glistening scale worms and peanut worms from the rocks.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Marcano wore her hair in braids and smiled often.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Indian Premier League team the Mumbai Indians wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence to commemorate her yesterday evening.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The rigid jean is hand-sanded to emphasize its fullness.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Attention spans are being sanded down, vocabulary is becoming consumer-friendly.—
Hannah Gold,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
By 1896, Kodak was marketing film specially coated for motion picture use.—
Marcia Greenwood,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The infrared sensors are beneath a clear plastic window that can easily get coated with dirt and dust.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rubbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rubbed. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
