CHAFED Synonyms: 144 Similar and Opposite Words

chafed

verb

past tense of chafe

as in irritated

to make sore by continued rubbing ill-fitting boots that had badly chafed my heels

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in eroded

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

as in annoyed

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 chafed 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 Xi came to power after the 2008 protests in Tibet and deadly unrest in Xinjiang, another frontier region of modern China where ethnic minorities have long chafed under Beijing’s rule and witnessed a huge security crackdown. — CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026 But Engelbert often has chafed against the players of the league, especially over the last year amid a contentious collective bargaining period. — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026 Although many workers chafed against the confines of office life, demand for these jobs only grew. — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026 That’s proven irresistible to startups, and increasingly, large companies that have chafed at the control OpenAI and Anthropic hold over their own closed models, as well as the mounting cost of using AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude. — Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 Some New Yorkers chafed at the security restrictions around a key transit hub on a holiday weekend, all during a heat wave. — ABC News, 11 July 2026 And for little ones with whose cheeks might be chafed due to diaper rash, the Sweet Cheeks Diaper Paste helps seal out wetness and irritants to protect skin. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 23 June 2026 Afterward, he was asked about race and politics almost exclusively, a narrowing of his work that often chafed. — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 22 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chafed

Verb

The comments irritated Ilicali, who took to social media in response.

— Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
But the idea has irritated California’s billionaire class, and some have left the state in protest or threatened to do so.

— Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026

Definition of irritated

Verb

The new king must steady royal fortunes amid damaging scrutiny of Queen Mette-Marit’s past ties to Jeffrey Epstein and stepson Marius Høiby’s rape conviction, which has eroded public support for the monarchy.

— Jan M. Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
If investors intended to have a 10% to 20% allocation to international as part of their strategic long-term planning, that could have eroded to as little as 2% to 5% given the extent of the bull market in the S&P 500 in recent years.

— Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of eroded

Verb

Not even Jeff being annoyed at Kasandra’s drunkenness can ruin the mood.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026
That was Gardner’s first game with the Colts after being acquired from the New York Jets, and while Indy pulled out the OT victory, Gardner was still annoyed by some of the social media chatter afterward.

— James Boyd, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of annoyed

Verb

As the latest iteration of her signature red tresses, these braids are just like the songs on her latest studio album, Blue Island—frayed, perfectly tousled, and free-flowing.

— Sidney Madden, VIBE.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Reconstituting the bilateral bond between the two countries, now frayed by more than a year of threats and punitive measures, will not happen overnight.

— Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of frayed

Verb

The indictment revealed that prosecutors had bugged the Aisenbergs' home for three months after Sabrina's disappearance.

— Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, a law-enforcement agency known as NABU, had bugged Mindich’s apartment in Kyiv, and detectives picked up his conversations about Fire Point.

— Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

Definition of bugged

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chafe

chafed

chafes

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“Chafed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chafed. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of chafed

verb

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