Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Causing abrasion: scratched the stovetop with an abrasive cleanser.
- adj. Harsh and rough in manner: an unpleasant, abrasive personality.
- n. A substance that abrades.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Tending to produce abrasion; having the property of abrading; abradant.
- n. Any material having abrading qualities; an abradant.
Wiktionary
- n. geology Rock fragments, sand grains, mineral particles, used by water, wind, and ice to abrade a land surface.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Producing abrasion.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. causing abrasion
- n. a substance that abrades or wears down
- adj. sharply disagreeable; rigorous.
Etymologies
- abrase + -ive (Wiktionary)
Examples
“She is trying hard not to be negative, although her supporters remain abrasive and insulting.”
“Ash can also cause long-term abrasive damage to planes that could lead to later disasters if not dealt with.”
“Remarkably for someone whose truly avant garde music has been described as abrasive, inaccessible, abyssal and suicidally dark "This isn't a funk session," he once cautioned a collaborator in the studio, Scott Walker personally projects an almost wholesome image and still speaks with a Midwestern accent after decades spent overseas; nevertheless, he speaks about his music and his goals for his music with unyielding focus and passion.”
“It takes a special talent to make it as a guy whom allies call abrasive, brutal, and prosecutorial.”
“Carborundum is used as an abrasive, that is, as a material for grinding and polishing very hard substances.”
“He's also known as an abrasive, often profane political operative with a famous take-no-prisoners style that was even parodied on "Saturday Night Live.”
“Brisbane - The Reds have recalled abrasive lock Adam Byrnes to replace the injured Van Humphries for Friday night's Super 14 clash with the Stormers at Suncorp Stadium.”
“Thibodeau is known as abrasive, in a state of constant apoplexy on the sidelines.”
“RealTechNews Mark Cuban has been called abrasive, brash, egotistical and more.”
“Mark Cuban has been called abrasive, brash, egotistical and more.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘abrasive’.
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GRE 2014
abate, abdicate, abase, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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hunting
crudely, unequivocal, obsolete, obscure, overtly, misdeed, shack, inherent, outcry, hefty, composed, poised and 318 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Weftage
The many textures of touch.
smooth, warty, velvety, sleek, grainy, shaggy, abrasive, scratchy, bumpy, corded, ribbed, roughish and 95 more...
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IMCO - EU nomenclature
includes words of the "Prodcom list"
abaca, abdominal, abrasive, absorbent, absorber, accelerator, accessory, account book, accumulator, acebutolol, acetaldehyde, acetamide and 4515 more...
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EN-HU - important words for a HU inte...
Words only (I left out the expressions) from Geza Kerenyi's EN-HU interpreters' dictionary. Most of them pose some difficulty when interpreted between HU and EN in either or both directions.
abalone, abrasive, abstractionist, abstruse, abysmal, academia, accessibility, accessible, acclimate, accolade, accompanist, achiever and 1469 more...
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Words For Novel (Part 2)
fable, sprite, syphilitic, anvil, wonderstruck, vertigo, bridled, tufted, fettered, savvy, tweed fedora, tryst and 255 more...
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gre2
aberrant, aberration, aboveboard, abrasive, abstemious, acme, admonish, affable, affluent, alacrity, allegory, alleviate and 1834 more...
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my gre list
its my gre word lists
abeyance, aberr, abash, abide, abhor, abject, abjure, ablution, abode, abolish, abominable, aboriginal and 19 more...
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Words
My list of words.
veritable, facetious, nadir, quixotic, apropos, acquiesce, ostensible, insipid, egregious, inveterate, coax, adroit and 409 more...
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The Sog Collection
My big word list.
chaos, flaccid, empirical, flotsam, cacophony, grumble, assuage, awe, romance, mortality, coalesce, fortuitous and 3282 more...
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wanderstar's Words
superlative, mulish, mumps, catatonic, aquiline, clandestine, phantasmagoria, chryselephantine, microfiche, mutineer, reprobate, ruthless and 312 more...
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GRE
abate, abdicate, aberrant, abhor, abjure, abrasive, abridge, abstain, acme, activism, adhere, admonish and 195 more...
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SAT Vocab
Redundant.
problematic, proclivity, prodigal, prodigious, prodigy, profane, profligate, profound, profusion, proliferation, prolific, prologue and 455 more...
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vocabulary
verisimilitude, pendulate, moxie, whimper, nary, stevedore, hubris, prodigious, super-injunction, injunction, lashings, fennel and 202 more...
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List 1
erudite, iniquitous, acrimonious, implacable, fractious, irascible, debonair, churlish, brusque, sycophantic, phlegmatic, indomitable and 108 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for abrasive.
hernesheir Shorthand code for the phrase "accident reported to our No. _____ was caused by". --1906 US Railway Association. Standard Cipher Code. Jan 19, 2013