abrasive
adjective
, -ziv\
Definition of abrasive
(Entry 1 of 2)
abrasive
nounDefinition of abrasive (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for abrasive
Synonyms: Adjective
aggravating, annoying, bothersome, carking, chafing, disturbing, exasperating, frustrating, galling, irksome, irritating, maddening, nettlesome, nettling, peeving, pesky, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, pesty, plaguey (also plaguy), rankling, rebarbative, riling, vexatious, vexing
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Examples of abrasive in a Sentence
Adjective
The waves had an abrasive action on the rocks. an abrasive display of rude behaviorRecent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Third was more abrasive and discordant than Portishead’s earlier music, evoking krautrock and horror soundtracks. — Al Shipley, Billboard, "Worth the Wait: The 10 Best Albums That Fans Waited Over a Decade For," 29 Aug. 2019 At times the piece is exactly as harrowing as that description would indicate, the surfaces abrasive and fragmentary, the music seeming to border on chaos. — David Weininger, BostonGlobe.com, "Marvels from Schumann and Schoenberg at Marlboro Music Festival," 29 July 2019 But some former rowers and Stanford coaches said Amerkhanian could also be territorial, abrasive and a bully. — New York Times, "Caught Up in the College Admissions Scandal: Stanford’s Boathouse," 17 July 2019 The salt will act as an abrasive and scrub off the glue. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Remove Super Glue," 24 June 2019 Yet even some of Colette’s supporters described her as occasionally abrasive, with a fierce love of animals and a disdain for any rules but her own. — Los Angeles Times, "What of the lions, tigers and owls? Wildlife Waystation in Angeles forest is closing," 13 Aug. 2019 Wallace was brash and abrasive, but with a bespoke style. — Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, "Documentary ‘Mike Wallace Is Here’ is a slam-bang look at a slam-bang interviewer," 31 July 2019 Many professional, suburban women — a critical voting bloc in the 2020 election — recoil at the abrasive, divisive rhetoric, exposing the president to a potential wave of opposition in key battlegrounds across the country. — Scott Bauer, The Denver Post, "Suburban women recoil as Trump dives back into racially divisive rhetoric," 30 July 2019 For decades, Fairfax County’s government has been a portrait of decorum — making the abrasive, in-your-face style of its relatively new top bureaucrat stand out. — Antonio Olivo, Washington Post, "With Amazon arriving next door, Fairfax’s top bureaucrat aims to shake things up," 25 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The gentle abrasives in these formulas will help loosen stubborn residue that needs a bit of a nudge but isn’t totally welded onto your glass. — Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean A Glass Cooktop so it Looks Brand New Again," 30 Apr. 2019 The technique will also be used on electrical and electronic components, bearings, vehicle components, engine parts, pipes, tubing, hose and fittings, and hardware and abrasives. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The Pentagon Uses Plant DNA to Catch Counterfeit Parts," 21 Nov. 2016 Madrid ad agency espadaysantacruz put together a very slick film for 3M to show off 3M's new class of Cubitron II abrasives. — Jake Swearingen, Popular Mechanics, "Watch What Happens When You Grind Away a Motorcycle's Engine," 25 July 2015 Primary microplastics include resin pellets that are melted down to manufacture plastic products—also known as nurdles—and microbeads added to products such as cosmetics, soaps, and toothpaste as abrasives. — National Geographic, "Plastics Explained, From A to Z," 16 May 2018 Even non-whitening version often contain chemicals and abrasives that can make acne worse. — Lauren Hubbard, Harper's BAZAAR, "Everything You Need To Know To Get Rid of Acne Once And For All," 8 Aug. 2017 Even non-whitening version often contain chemicals and abrasives that can make acne worse. — Lauren Hubbard, Harper's BAZAAR, "Everything You Need To Know To Get Rid of Acne Once And For All," 8 Aug. 2017 In the meantime, consumers can protect themselves by being more conservative when using abrasives such as facial scrubs, or harsh products containing glycolic, salicylic or retinoic acid, Day said. — Dennis Thompson, chicagotribune.com, "Study highlights the ugly side of the beauty industry," 28 June 2017 About 15 percent of the most finely ground glass — which isn’t good for bottlemakers — will be sent to secondary markets for use in abrasives, large water filters and concrete coatings, Lair said. — The Denver Post, "This new Colorado glass recycling plant can process 80,000 tons a year," 3 Mar. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abrasive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for abrasive
abrasive
noun
\
Kids Definition of abrasive
(Entry 1 of 2)