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
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Recent Examples of rubbed
Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 9 June 2026
The good times keep rolling through the commercial breaks, as A-listers rubbed elbows, and at the afterparties, where the big stars enjoyed burgers from Shake Shack and got their drink on.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 8 June 2026
He's rubbed some Cabinet members the wrong way.
—CBS News, 7 June 2026
There’s a dump cake that comes together with three ingredients, a poke cake built for a crowd, and a cobbler made for two with lavender rubbed right into the sugar.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 June 2026
The administration’s decision to import large quantities of Argentinian beef has also rubbed many ranchers the wrong way.
—Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 4 June 2026
The pair rubbed shoulders at the 2024 Super Bowl, joined forces for Rolling Stone's Musicians on Musicians issue in 2020, and moved album release dates around for each other.
—Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
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
Verb
Chemical filters, such as avobenzone, octocrylene and homosalate, appear clear when rubbed on the skin but sometimes feel oily.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 9 June 2026
The good times keep rolling through the commercial breaks, as A-listers rubbed elbows, and at the afterparties, where the big stars enjoyed burgers from Shake Shack and got their drink on.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 8 June 2026
He's rubbed some Cabinet members the wrong way.
—CBS News, 7 June 2026
There’s a dump cake that comes together with three ingredients, a poke cake built for a crowd, and a cobbler made for two with lavender rubbed right into the sugar.
—Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 June 2026
The administration’s decision to import large quantities of Argentinian beef has also rubbed many ranchers the wrong way.
—Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 4 June 2026
The pair rubbed shoulders at the 2024 Super Bowl, joined forces for Rolling Stone's Musicians on Musicians issue in 2020, and moved album release dates around for each other.
—Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rubbed
Adjective
-
The Seleção has found a highly polished style of play that carried it to the 2025 UEFA Nations League title.—
Esteban Campanela,
CNN Money,
7 June 2026
-
Style this blouse with wide-leg pants for dinner reservations, historical site visits, theater outings, or any occasion that calls for a more polished dress code.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
The new feature comes amid consternation from website operators and creators that Google’s AI summaries have eroded the volume of referral traffic coming from the search portal.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
4 June 2026
-
Equipped with a sophisticated suite of instruments, the probe was designed to study the Martian atmosphere to learn more about how it is eroded, or blown away and thinned out by particles in the solar wind.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Firecrawl has started working with partners including Wikipedia on this, with the idea that information sources providing real value to AI systems should be compensated for it, rather than scraped silently.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
-
Public photos, captions and comments can get scraped, saved and connected to other personal details already online.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Fortunately, just then, Marijan entered the living room, with her hair smoothed down and her makeup reapplied, wearing a hand-stitched abaya from Mecca.—
Jamil Jan Kochai,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
Lopez paired the perfect party dress with matching drop sparkly earrings and strappy sandals that also featured glistening sparkle details.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
6 June 2026
-
Beef cheeks and tongues, Frenched racks of lamb, glistening hams, poulet de Bresse, and rabbits still with their heads, round eyes blinkless under long lashes frozen in the ice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Perry wore a floor-length white gown as Trudeau kept his look simple in a white dress shirt and black blazer over matching slacks.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
For both occasions, the Princess Royal wore the hat with yellow outfits.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
But even slightly sanded down, their work puts other games to shame.—
Jordan Minor,
PC Magazine,
1 June 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 10 Jun. 2026.
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