abrading 1 of 2

adjective

as in roughening

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abrading

2 of 2

verb

present participle of abrade
1
as in eroding
to damage or diminish by continued friction ropes abraded by the rocks were a huge danger to the climbers

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in irritating
to make sore by continued rubbing my new running shoes abraded my heels until they blistered

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3
as in scraping
to damage by rubbing against a sharp or rough surface the yacht's once-flawless wooden hull had been badly abraded by years of rough dockings

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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 abrading
Verb
Prior to snapping its selfie, the rover had just finished abrading the rocky Arethusa outcrop. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 13 May 2026 Pockmarks and brittle edges show the abrading action of millennia of wind and rain. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abrading
  1. irritating
  2. eroding
  3. scratching
  4. scraping
  5. wearing
  6. fraying
  7. rubbing
Adjective
  • His irritating habit of starting each meeting with the ping of a bell reinforces his personality.
    — Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The larger battery gives it the sort of range that makes an EV genuinely useful for long-distance driving, while the interior avoids some of the irritating touchscreen-heavy trends found elsewhere.
    — Matthew MacConnell, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of irritating
Verb
  • By eroding the feedback loop that every stable government—even the most authoritarian—needs to stay in power, the Putin regime is becoming less capable of understanding the real condition of Russia.
    — Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
  • This ambiguity from different agencies creates an information vacuum, fostering misinformation and eroding public trust.
    — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of eroding
Verb
  • Its uniquely wide view will also help scientists decode the intricacies of dark matter and dark energy while perhaps clearing up some contradictions about our universe that scientists have been scratching their heads over for decades.
    — Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Use non-abrasive cleaners and tools to avoid scratching the glass surface.
    — Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of scratching
Verb
  • Burger King has 286 locations in Ohio, according to the data-scraping website ScrapeHero.
    — Chad Murphy, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Step 3 Reduce mixer speed to low and, with motor running, gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture; beat, stopping and scraping down sides and bottom of bowl as needed, until just combined.
    — Rick Martinez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of scraping
Verb
  • Wear it with leggings for a travel outfit that feels a little more elevated than wearing a sweatsuit.
    — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Shoes left at the door, donning slippers to be worn except on tatami mats, wearing yukatas to the onsen and to dinner that night.
    — Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of wearing
Verb
  • Amid competing global crises and shifting donor priorities, that safety net is fraying.
    — Lorcan Lovett, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026
  • To help prevent the fabric around the drawstring hole from fraying, paint a rectangle and snip an opening in the channel as described below.
    — Jodi Levine, Parents, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of fraying
Verb
  • Rubbing Alcohol Head to the drug store for a bottle of 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to clean windows.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The redyed fabrics showed uniform color uptake and washing and rubbing fastness comparable to the reference fabric, according to the study.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of rubbing

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abrades
abrading
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Cite this Entry

“Abrading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abrading. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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