chafe 1 of 2

verb

ˈchāf How to pronounce chafe (audio)
Definition of chafenext
1
as in to irritate
to make sore by continued rubbing ill-fitting boots that had badly chafed my heels

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to wear
to damage or diminish by continued friction constant stepping on a rope will gradually chafe it, rendering it unsafe for rock climbing

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts nothing chafes us so much as those telemarketers who call during the dinner hour

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

chafe

2 of 2

noun

1
as in indignation

Related Words

Dissimilar Words
2
as in abrasion

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of chafe
Verb
For his part, Fields chafes at the suggestion that his group simply does the bidding of wealthy donors. — Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 13 Sep. 2026 They were married from 1976 to 1982, as Taylor chafed against the confines of being a politician’s wife following Warner’s election to the Senate in 1979. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
What follows is an absurd reckoning that mixes surreal humor and domestic drama as Shula chafes against her relatives’ hysterical funeral planning. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 9 Dec. 2025 Zwick is such a conventional filmmaker that DiCaprio chafes trying to break out of the Reluctant Hero straitjacket Zwick puts him in. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chafe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chafe
  1. irritate
  2. wear
  3. annoy
  4. indignation
  5. abrasion
  6. scratch
  7. erode
  8. bother
Verb
  • Some develop in varicose veins; others form where a needle or IV has irritated a vein.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
  • So testing a movie that temporarily sounds irritating is really, really hard.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of irritate
Verb
  • The company’s first product was the Ruffle Power Pareo, which can be worn as a pareo or a skirt and remains one of their bestsellers.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Bee Frontier can be worn as a Fitbit-like band on the wrist or as a clip-on pin.
    — Victoria Song, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of wear
Verb
  • Returning the sarcasm tends to cause the same problem, with two people annoyed instead of one.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Williams is annoyed and wants order while Kirke is hardly paying attention and lugs vases of flowers through her home.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoy
Noun
  • Like its first season, season two of The Lowdown follows Ethan Hawke as Lee Raybon, a freelance journalist and bookstore owner in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a nose for trouble and a hefty dose of quixotic, self-righteous moral indignation.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Along with his signature rapid-fire, garrulous dialogue, Sorkin’s tendency for self-righteous indignation is very much in evidence.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of indignation
Noun
  • With grip and lightweight comfort, the latest footwear styles feature an Avalon® Gecko TPU sole complete with a lighter-than-rubber material that provides abrasion resistance and slip resistance on terrain in wet and dry conditions.
    — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Most had abrasions and small cuts, and all but the driver have since been treated and released, authorities said Monday during a press briefing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of abrasion
Verb
  • Test the plant’s health by lightly scratching the woody stems—healthy tissue beneath the bark will typically look green.
    — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The bear even takes time to exfoliate, using what appears to be a concrete barrier to scratch its back.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of scratch
Verb
  • Washington must take care, however, not to transfer defense responsibilities faster than allies can develop the capabilities to assume them—and not to do so in ways that erode trust, interoperability, and coordination.
    — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The deck replacement is necessary because traffic loads on the span have become increasingly heavy, and salt air has eroded bridge materials.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of erode
Verb
  • Gee, who used to pop into fraternity parties unannounced to keep tabs on them, said he is not bothered by the reintegration of the three formerly rogue organizations.
    — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • This is a dense picture—there’s almost too much to unpack, if you can be bothered to care about any of it.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of bother

Browse Nearby Words

cestus
chafe
chafed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chafe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chafe. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All