RASPING Synonyms: 208 Similar and Opposite Words

rasping 1 of 2

adjective

as in hoarse

harsh and dry in sound a patient beset by a rasping cough from years of smoking

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rasping

2 of 2

verb

present participle of rasp

as in rubbing

to make smooth by friction after sawing the board in half, rasp the ends to remove any splinters

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as in scratching

to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface the sound of fingernails rasping on the blackboard makes me cringe

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as in annoying

to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts the two siblings seemed intent on rasping each other for the entire car trip

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in eroding

to damage or diminish by continued friction during the last ice age, glaciers rasped the surface, leaving the deeply scarred rock

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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 rasping

Verb

Stach’s rasping effort, 30 yards from goal, wide left, beat the Belgian at his near post to steal the match for Leeds. — Beren Cross, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Yet Karter is utterly at ease behind the mic, rasping through a wistful melody with an unlit cigarette between her fingers, a black motorcycle jacket slipping off one shoulder. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 6 July 2026 Koulibaly misjudged a clearance and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was unable to keep out substitute Marcus Pedersen’s rasping shot to give Norway the lead close to halftime. — Monica Alba, NBC news, 24 June 2026 The voice was faint and rasping, like the sound of pebbles raked by a wave. — Maggie O’Farrell, Literary Hub, 2 June 2026 When the beetle takes flight, the woman, who is busy unpacking, doesn’t realize for a moment that there’s something out of place about that rasping ruckus, that foreign hum. — María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026 Thrips have rasping, sucking mouthparts. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026 Negron, in particular, completely throws himself into it, rasping and howling and wailing out ad-libs. — Paul Grein, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rasping

Adjective

Now life was like that; some days fine and firm and full of whatever, while other days the hoarse bark of the neighbors’ dog or a friend’s grim diagnosis and her body succumbed to an emotional gravity that pulled her into a free fall.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Singers didn’t want their voices to get hoarse over the long night or week.

— Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of hoarse

Verb

Separating small equipment, personal accessories, and emergency supplies can also help reduce clutter and prevent belongings from rubbing against one another.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Oct. 2026
After two consecutive championships and more than a decade of rubbing the rest of Major League Baseball’s noses in their extravagant wealth, the Los Angeles Dodgers were not going to be missed.

— Mike Finger, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of rubbing

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
Well, then the sound of television writer Joe Wiseman clearing his throat over and over again might as well be Gilbert Gottfried’s laugh scratching against a chalkboard.

— Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of scratching

Verb

Kids in all three countries loved learning dances from TikTok and annoying their siblings.

— Ryan Lenora Brown, Christian Science Monitor, 12 Aug. 2026
Of course, this would depend on whether the managers choose to pick their strongest teams in what for some is a meaningless, even annoying extra fixture, for squads who just want to go home.

— Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 18 July 2026

Definition of annoying

Verb

Set aside sufficient cash The best way to avoid eroding your savings during a big sell-off is to have enough cash in reserves to manage your expenses, and required withdrawals, for a six to 12-month period.

— Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Both Warren and Waters have also repeatedly raised concerns over affordability, including housing issues, and accused the administration of eroding consumer finance protections.

— Reuters, NBC news, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of eroding

Adjective

Defying the old-school stereotype of the hard-nosed, gruff newspaper boss, Vaughn often mentored young reporters in a serious but friendly and encouraging manner.

— Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
Over three decades in stand-up comedy, Bill Burr has gained a reputation for saying, with gruff conviction and political fire, the thing on everyone’s mind.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of gruff

Verb

After grinding to Akon during their belly dancing date, Cam and Aneha find common ground around growing up in low-income families when their parents lost their jobs.

— Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026
While the left spent all week whining about Sophie Cunningham's hat and firing squad best practices, us PATRIOTS were biding our time, keeping our heads down, and grinding towards another weekend.

— Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of grinding

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

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Synonyms of rasping

adjective

verb

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