SHEDDING Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

shedding

verb

present participle of shed

as in peeling

to cast (a natural bodily covering or appendage) aside a snake's skin doesn't grow as the snake does, so every so often the snake will shed its old skin

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in dumping

to get rid of as useless or unwanted you need to shed your old notions of propriety and have some fun for a change

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 shedding Anabel Kingsley, consultant trichologist and brand president of the Philip Kingsley Clinics and product ranges, has clients who stay awake long into the night, comparing photos before and after shedding events. — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 25 Aug. 2026 By shedding light on these dark corners, the observatory's mission, NASA said, will then reveal not just how the universe developed over time, but where it's headed. — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026 Garfield went viral in 2021 for shedding light on losing his mother in an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026 After a roughly three-month checkout period, the scope will start observing the heavens — hunting for exoplanets and shedding light on dark matter and dark energy, among other tasks. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Castro says consistent feather shedding or filling that is beginning to break apart can also signal that a pillow is failing. — Colleen Sullivan, Martha Stewart, 22 Aug. 2026 Contributor Stewart Savin put this model to the test by cleaning up after her 60-pound German Shepherd rescue mix, whose shedding season is 365 days a year. — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 20 Aug. 2026 The study required tracking of millions of individual particles shedding light on turbulence and opening up new avenues of research in nuclear fusion and astronomy. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026 WhatNot and other live shopping retailers are shedding their reputations as purveyors of baseball cards by expanding their digital aisles, benefitting niche auction-fluencers like Lally. — Andrew Zucker, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shedding

Verb

According to Chicago Public Schools, reports of peeling paint and possible mold in limited areas of the building were flagged earlier this month.

— Chris Tye, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
The liner immediately started peeling, and algae formed at the top of the pool, with pieces of lining floating on top.

— Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of peeling

Verb

Hawaii cleans up after Hurricane Lala Communities struggled to recover after Tropical Storm Lala sideswiped Hawaii as a Category 1 hurricane, sparing the islands a direct hit but dumping more than 3½ feet of rain that caused catastrophic flooding.

— Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
Tasks included scooping and dumping sand or gravel, digging and grading trenches, clearing debris from roads, removing tree branches from water edges, and breaking up rocks.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of dumping

Verb

On Day 2, stir mixture and measure out 110 g (1/2 cup) of starter into a fresh container, discarding the rest (at this point, the discard is not ready to be used in recipes).

— Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Aug. 2026
The cruise line submitted a subsequent report detailing a range of corrective actions, from rewashing coffee urns to discarding the tray of bread where the fly was found.

— Nathan Diller, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of discarding

Verb

The world’s first self-unloading electric bulk carrier, powered by a massive 6,758-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery system, has officially entered commercial service in the land Down Under.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Welcomed by Herky the Hornet, the cheer team and the campus community, the students and their families checked in before unloading their belongings and setting up their new rooms.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of unloading

Verb

At the same time, glycolic acid—an exfoliating ingredient—helps renew skin by sloughing off dead skin cells and improving texture for a silky-smooth finish.

— Alyssa Morin, InStyle, 2 Aug. 2026
The leader of his country’s Socialist Party, Rama came to power in 2013, as Albania was still sloughing off its insular identity.

— Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026

Definition of sloughing

Verb

New research has found that productivity really does dip over the peak summer months—and that’s because workers, from the front line to corporate management, are ditching their desks to enjoy the warm weather.

— Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
In 2018, Becerra, while serving as state attorney general, popped by Thomas’ golf tournament retirement party, ditching his security detail and fielding work calls from the links.

— Ben Paviour August 17, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of ditching

Verb

Now, in his fourth week checking the hawk’s nest on OC Parks’ land managed by the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, Gough noticed the color change, indicating the chicks are molting their feathers, doing well, and growing.

— Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 8 May 2026
On the Sonora stage Sunday, the 22-year-old Newark rapper-producer who arrived at the current screaming catharsis via a circuit of molting SoundCloud-era microgenres was at once dangerously commanding and euphoric while tearing through highlights from last year’s Revengeseekerz.

— Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2026

Definition of molting

Browse Nearby Words

shed

shedding

sheds

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation

Synonyms of shedding

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes