1
as in facilitated
to free from obstruction or difficulty
a willingness to compromise will smooth the way to an early agreement
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flattened
to make free from breaks, curves, or bumps
the workers smoothed the surface of the concrete before letting it dry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rubbed
to make smooth or glossy usually by repeatedly applying surface pressure
used fine sandpaper to smooth the face of the wood
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of smoothed
The looming canyon nearly obscures sunlight, and sinuous, layered stone reveals warm burgundy, grey, and violet striations smoothed by centuries of flooding.
—
Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
Fronting the glittering waters of the Atlantic, the Louis XIII-style promenade is currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar renewal, its granite tiles buffed and smoothed, vegetation planted, and its sea lions by sculptor José Fioravanti returned to their former glory.
—Siobhan Reid, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
Plus, your lawn will likely get a better cut when obstacles are removed and rough edges are smoothed.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2026
The beach was filled with stones that had been smoothed to perfect ovals and circles by thousands of years of being tossed by the sea, some gray and striated with pure white, and others that when wet were the color of emeralds.
—Nicole Krauss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Over the years, the late Queen had repeatedly smoothed Andrew’s way in life.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Chocolate Ganache smoothed between layers of rich chocolate cake topped with Praline Frosting and a warm Bourbon Glaze make this recipe fit for special occasions.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2026
In some ways, Bequia remains a secret, and as such, it hasn’t been overly developed, commercialised or smoothed into sameness.
—Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 5 Feb. 2026
Parish and Glasner smoothed things over somewhat at dinner at London’s Ham Yard restaurant on January 21.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
Fronting the glittering waters of the Atlantic, the Louis XIII-style promenade is currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar renewal, its granite tiles buffed and smoothed, vegetation planted, and its sea lions by sculptor José Fioravanti returned to their former glory.
—Siobhan Reid, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
Plus, your lawn will likely get a better cut when obstacles are removed and rough edges are smoothed.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2026
The beach was filled with stones that had been smoothed to perfect ovals and circles by thousands of years of being tossed by the sea, some gray and striated with pure white, and others that when wet were the color of emeralds.
—Nicole Krauss, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
Over the years, the late Queen had repeatedly smoothed Andrew’s way in life.
—Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
Chocolate Ganache smoothed between layers of rich chocolate cake topped with Praline Frosting and a warm Bourbon Glaze make this recipe fit for special occasions.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2026
In some ways, Bequia remains a secret, and as such, it hasn’t been overly developed, commercialised or smoothed into sameness.
—Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 5 Feb. 2026
Parish and Glasner smoothed things over somewhat at dinner at London’s Ham Yard restaurant on January 21.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoothed
Verb
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The colleagues who facilitated his ouster accuse him of a degree of deception that is untenable for any executive and dangerous for a leader of such a transformative technology.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Birthright citizenship has facilitated immigrant integration and assimilation while enriching American society across generations.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In 2019, the odds for the three worst teams were flattened, as a way to discourage teams from racing to the bottom.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
More than three years after the evictions, satellite images show, their village has been flattened and, in its place, new buildings erected to support some of China’s most important nuclear weapons production facilities.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His grandiose persona rubbed many the wrong way early on, earning him a villain label.—
Pamela Chelin,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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And Jesse Leasure, who was drenched in pepper spray and felt like his skin was on fire and as though someone had rubbed his eyeballs with sandpaper.—
Olivia George,
Washington Post,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Resurfacing and Sculpting treatment shaved years off of my skin’s appearance (and all of its New York City congestion) in a matter of 60 minutes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Due to severely matted fur, much of his coat had to be shaved.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With a range of sizes for plus-sized travelers, these Eytino trousers are comfortable and stylish, but look polished enough for practically any occasion.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Amazon has plenty of spring-ready two-piece options that are comfortable enough for the couch and polished enough for lunch with a friend.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Some of the imagery seen by Ferreira’s character is genuine content culled from online, carefully trimmed.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
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Just like that, what had been a 23-point halftime lead was trimmed to 13 entering the fourth.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Police say Ortiz raked Rihanna’s Beverly Crest property with an assault rifle, striking an Airstream trailer on the property, the singer’s home and a neighbor’s home.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
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Hundreds of thousands of people were left without power Saturday after high winds raked eastward from the Great Lakes region, leaving trees down and substantial property damage in their wake.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In 2021, a man planed to propose to his girlfriend during a romantic gondola ride in Las Vegas, with passersby stopping to watch and record the sweet moment.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Oct. 2025
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Timeline for the brand extends over the next two years into 2028, with new product launches planed over the next 24 months.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Smoothed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoothed. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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