chafing 1 of 2

chafing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of chafe
1
as in scratching
to make sore by continued rubbing ill-fitting boots that had badly chafed my heels

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chafing
Adjective
  • There is nothing more irritating to enthusiasts than when the mainstream tries to portray their niche world and gets it wrong.
    Matt Shaw, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
  • Most formulas are either too heavy, too drying, or too irritating.
    Tira Urquhart, Essence, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Similar to a sheet pan, whole meals can be built in a Dutch oven, scratching that same itch for convenience and less clean up.
    Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 23 Dec. 2024
  • But that’s just scratching the surface – addressing only the symptoms of the underlying challenges and only addressing them at the end of the SDLC process.
    Jeremy Vaughan, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • But unexpected allies and converts to the team’s cause appear, too: passengers awaiting a flight to Kabul, an American technology reporter, maybe even that annoying bakery owner.
    Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 7 Mar. 2025
  • The second week My usual redness around my cheeks had started to fade, and the annoying pimple that had been brewing on my cheek seemed to back off without its usual dramatic entrance.
    Larry Stansbury, Essence, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The Heat’s decision to suspend Butler marks the latest turning point in an obviously eroding relationship.
    James Jackson, The Athletic, 3 Jan. 2025
  • These measures, intended to reduce systemic financial risks, inadvertently triggered a liquidity crisis, leaving developers unable to complete projects and further eroding consumer confidence.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Rodin Cars The big idea behind Rodin is to build cars without bothering about vehicle regulations – in stark contrast to F1 cars, which are subject to several rules around how they're put together.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Jan. 2025
  • The city and state have also been ramping up efforts to engage troubled vagrants sleeping and sometimes bothering straphangers, connecting them with services and shelter and potentially involuntary treatment.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Most welcomed this move, even if the timing was frustrating.
    Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 26 Feb. 2025
  • What’s especially frustrating to people involved in ferret conservation is that funding and staff resources were already limited heading into 2025.
    Benji Jones, Vox, 26 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Neither mentioned the constitutional spending cap, a measure designed to ensure fiscal responsibility that many economists blame for the fraying state of Germany's infrastructure.
    Fox News, Fox News, 16 Dec. 2024
  • And cheaper polo belts are stitched with shorter pieces of thread which will unravel over time, creating a fraying effect—but the best quality belts are stitched from longer pieces of thread which won’t unravel.
    Todd Plummer, Robb Report, 6 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • These findings should be deeply disturbing to Western policymakers, for at least two reasons.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
  • The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices is disturbing.
    Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Chafing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chafing. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.

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