as in facilitating
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in accelerating
to free from obstruction or difficulty
a willingness to compromise will smooth the way to an early agreement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flattening
to make free from breaks, curves, or bumps
the workers smoothed the surface of the concrete before letting it dry
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in polishing
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 smoothing
Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
It’s designed with side-smoothing panels, separated cups, and wide, adjustable straps.
—Jamie Allison Sanders, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026
Duffy has said the system could help planners spot problems weeks in advance, smoothing schedules before delays begin to stack up.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
The smoothing fabric is flattering at the waist and thighs, and the flare bottoms provide just enough of a pop of style to make these jeans fun, but still appropriate for just about any setting.
—Taylor Fox, Travel + Leisure, 2 May 2026
Stansbury smiled, smoothing the fabric over my back.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
The product design for the pull-on skinny and flare denim sought to tackle frequent fit issues women have with jeans—such as waist gaps and hip dips—with waist-smoothing paneling and padding and contour seaming to lift and round wearers’ hips.
—Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 29 Apr. 2026
Its benefits span from firming and lift to smoothing texture and tone.
—Audrey Noble, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2026
Unlike many mineral sunscreens that can sit heavily on the skin, this one absorbs quickly and has a lightweight, smoothing effect.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust, smoothing the top.
—Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 10 May 2026
It’s designed with side-smoothing panels, separated cups, and wide, adjustable straps.
—Jamie Allison Sanders, PEOPLE, 10 May 2026
Duffy has said the system could help planners spot problems weeks in advance, smoothing schedules before delays begin to stack up.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
The smoothing fabric is flattering at the waist and thighs, and the flare bottoms provide just enough of a pop of style to make these jeans fun, but still appropriate for just about any setting.
—Taylor Fox, Travel + Leisure, 2 May 2026
Stansbury smiled, smoothing the fabric over my back.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
The product design for the pull-on skinny and flare denim sought to tackle frequent fit issues women have with jeans—such as waist gaps and hip dips—with waist-smoothing paneling and padding and contour seaming to lift and round wearers’ hips.
—Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 29 Apr. 2026
Its benefits span from firming and lift to smoothing texture and tone.
—Audrey Noble, Vogue, 28 Apr. 2026
Unlike many mineral sunscreens that can sit heavily on the skin, this one absorbs quickly and has a lightweight, smoothing effect.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smoothing
Verb
-
The report places some of the blame on social media platforms and e-commerce websites for facilitating counterfeit sales through influencer promotion and links to fake websites.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 May 2026
-
Malaysia’s maritime agency says the transfers happen beyond its territorial waters and radar coverage, complicating enforcement efforts, while critics argue the nation is facilitating rather than merely tolerating the trade.—
Eileen Ng,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Looking instead at velocity to see not how far, but how fast obesity is rising — or not — revealed rates that continue to climb in most low- and middle-income countries, but are flattening in most high-income countries and possibly declining in a few of those more prosperous places.—
Elizabeth Cooney,
STAT,
13 May 2026
-
In cultural sectors, especially, over-optimization risks flattening meaning.—
Rolling Stone Culture Council,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
While rivals like the Tacoma and Colorado constantly reinvent themselves, Nissan tends to take the long road by refining, tweaking, and polishing instead of blowing everything up every few years.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 May 2026
-
Various owners have taken the reins over the years, but all were committed to preserving the bar’s old-school character rather than polishing, upgrading, or updating it away.—
Skye Sherman,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This awesome little robovac-mop is literally shaving a full workday a week off her already insane I'm-a-mom schedule.—
Joe Salas
May 09,
New Atlas,
9 May 2026
-
Sobbing while shaving head in…what’s that movie?—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
This is also linked to a change known as Darier’s sign, which is a common finding in mastocytosis, where rubbing a skin lesion causes redness or swelling.—
Suchandrima Bhowmik,
Health,
15 May 2026
-
If one berry develops mold, spores can spread quickly, and moisture, warmth, and friction from the berries rubbing together can accelerate the spread.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Mamdani’s Executive Budget rightly addresses some of this excess, trimming DOC’s uniformed headcount by 586 positions, and putting the city on track to save $78 million next year.—
Jason Rodriguez,
New York Daily News,
16 May 2026
-
The conglomerate also fully exited Amazon after trimming the position late last year.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Its pointed corners fit into crevices for raking out hard-to-reach pet hair from the car’s interior, car mats or any other fabric surface.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
-
Do this by raking deeply into the soil to break up that thatch layer.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The under-$10 serum is formulated with 2 percent multimolecular hyaluronic acid and Matrixyl 3000 peptide, a combination of ingredients that quenches the skin while smoothening wrinkles and firming crepey areas.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smoothing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smoothing. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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