as in eroding
to consume or wear away gradually
time has gnawed that author's reputation to the point where he rates little more than a footnote
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Recent Examples of gnawing
At some point, everyone faces upheaval; a layoff, a health scare, a collapsing industry, or simply the gnawing sense that the old way isn’t working anymore.
—
Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Some might use it as a toy, gnawing and tearing it up, while others, like Potato, like to sleep with the clothing item.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
No other piece of music this year so eloquently captured fin de siècle wariness, the gnawing sense that a new, scary, and potentially enlightening world may be only two years away.
—Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Poverty was deep and gnawing all over South Georgia.
—Joshua Sharpe
august 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025
Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Some might use it as a toy, gnawing and tearing it up, while others, like Potato, like to sleep with the clothing item.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025
No other piece of music this year so eloquently captured fin de siècle wariness, the gnawing sense that a new, scary, and potentially enlightening world may be only two years away.
—Ew Staff Published, EW.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Poverty was deep and gnawing all over South Georgia.
—Joshua Sharpe
august 6, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gnawing
Verb
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Rising living costs, inflation eroding purchasing power, and longer life spans have all made stepping away from the workforce more difficult than ever.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Since 2019, cumulative inflation stands at 26%, eroding any real progress made through job-hopping or promotions.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Making some art, eating some really good food, and then ending with a sunset at Blacks Beach.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
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In December, a scientific committee concluded two years of intensive research on what Americans should be eating by saying that there was not enough research to recommend people drink any other type of milk than fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1% or 2%).—
Alana Semuels,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Gnawing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gnawing. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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