WEARING (AWAY) Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words

wearing (away)

verb

Definition of wearing (away)

present participle of wear (away)

as in washing out

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wearing (away)

Verb

Then came this spring’s historic and devastating floods across northern Michigan — in some areas, for the first time anyone can remember — swamping homes, pushing dams to the brink of failure and washing out roadways.

— Tammy Webber, Fortune, 23 June 2026
Then came this spring's historic and devastating floods across northern Michigan — in some areas, for the first time anyone can remember — swamping homes, pushing dams to the brink of failure and washing out roadways.

— CBS News, CBS News, 22 June 2026

Definition of washing out

Verb

But Koppl traced a distinctly American lineage through a chain of precedents dating back more than 50 years, each one further eroding the market discipline that profit-and-loss accountability is supposed to provide.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 3 July 2026
McGraw Hill Higher Education cites a study by Gerlich (2025) at SBS Swiss Business School that reveals an over-reliance on AI tools is eroding critical thinking abilities.

— Michael Ashley, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

Definition of eroding

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.

Browse Nearby Words

wearing

wearing (away)

wearing down

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Wearing (away).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wearing%20%28away%29. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of wearing (away)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gambol

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes