noun
adjective
-
causing abrasion; grating; rough
-
irritating in manner or personality; causing tension or annoyance
Other Word Forms
- abrasively adverb
- abrasiveness noun
- unabrasive adjective
- unabrasively adverb
Etymology
Origin of abrasive
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They often abandon traditional pop music structures, they don’t shy away from abrasive arrangements, and Ayewa’s lyricism speaks directly to the soul.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
Before taking time off, the band had settled into making sleek, shimmery retro-disco tracks like Dynamite and Butter - designed to appeal to the sort of listener who finds Bruno Mars too crass and abrasive.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
Some found him abrasive and unpleasant to work with.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
As Martin, Charles stiffens himself and keeps his facial expressions generally between neutral and annoyed, though he’s softer than Clunes, less a prisoner of his own body, less abrasive, less otherworldly.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2026
His stubbornness was something I recognized, something I’d inherited myself, though I hoped in a less abrasive form.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
