scratching 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in metallic

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2
as in jagged

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Dissimilar Words

scratching

2 of 2

verb

present participle of scratch
1
as in scraping
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface scratched his arm on a branch

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rubbing
to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface the branches of the willow tree scratch against the windowpane whenever the wind blows

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in scribbling
to write or draw hastily or carelessly scratched a quick doodle in the margins

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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 scratching
Verb
But all of these methods could damage the register by scratching the finish or denting the louvers. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2026 Most on this roster aren’t established major leaguers, but players scratching and clawing for staying power. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026 Jones says this is key to preventing streaks (and not scratching the appliance’s surface). — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 13 Aug. 2026 Google also says the phones use new glass that is twice as resistant to scratching. — ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, for those of us steeped in the tech field, there is quite a bit of head scratching going on. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026 The poor offensive production spoiled a night when the Angels got good enough pitching, despite scratching Soriano. — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 2 Aug. 2026 The Tigers took a precautionary measure today with another of their trade candidates, right-hander Casey Mize, scratching him from his start and going with a bullpen game instead. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026 Her dog barked, and Vera went to say hello, scratching the mutt between the ears. — Eric Boodman, STAT, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scratching
  1. metallic
  2. jagged
  3. scraping
  4. rubbing
  5. scribbling
  6. shrill
  7. piercing
  8. scrawling
Adjective
  • For these works, Warhol covered canvases in a metallic gold and copper background and had friends and acquaintances urinate directly onto them.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Made from bright metallic gold leather, the sandals feature crossed vamp straps, an open round toe, an adjustable ankle strap and gold hardware.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of metallic
Adjective
  • The man’s skull had broken in 61 separate places, and another 60 jagged bits of bone were distributed across his ribs.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Arctic dreams Russian President Vladimir Putin has long envisioned the 3,500-mile route along Russia’s jagged Arctic coastline becoming a major artery for trade – and a driver of investment in Russian ports and oil and gas fields.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of jagged
Verb
  • With the sprightly energy of a schoolboy, Jean-Paul Doron bounds into an empty creek, his red suede shoes scraping pale rocks.
    — Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Any page that’s readable by a human could also be correctly interpreted by an AI scraping tool that simply renders the full webpage and uses optical character recognition on an image of the output.
    — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of scraping
Verb
  • For instance, Qidi had to include a piece of Velcro to prevent the Polar Cooler tube from rubbing against the glass surface inside the top cover.
    — Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Republicans are rubbing their hands in glee at the neocommunist advance in their opposing party.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of rubbing
Verb
  • Jack McGrail and Aiyana Da’Briel, staff leaders for the SoLa Live Accelerator program behind the event, seemed to be everywhere at once, passing out wristbands and scribbling on clipboards.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026
  • Each time Yamamoto took the mound, his interpreter, Sonoda, sat on the dugout ledge, scribbling his own notes to help streamline Yamamoto’s process.
    — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 13 June 2026
Definition of scribbling
Adjective
  • Amid the rumblings of construction at nearby David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, the sound of a shrill whistle and chopping feet at the nearby Murfin Family Practice Fields signaled one thing.
    — Christian Marshall, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026
  • That trademark indecision of summer takes root in her words and spreads through the music until her vocals diverge in the chorus, peeling like a clementine’s skin as one shrill line scales upward and the other remains monotone.
    — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026
Definition of shrill
Adjective
  • Still, the glimpses of freedom Clark offers are all the more piercing for their rarity.
    — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Mars merging with Pluto can hit you with a piercing moment of honesty.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
Definition of piercing
Verb
  • Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank early Sunday, setting fire to two mosques and scrawling graffiti on buildings, Palestinian officials said.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 27 July 2026
  • The elder statesman Hall scrawling his signature on the Declaration was in doubt in the run-up to the first Independence Day.
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of scrawling

Browse Nearby Words

scratches (out)
scratching
scratching (out)
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Cite this Entry

“Scratching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scratching. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on scratching

Nglish: Translation of scratching for Spanish Speakers

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