abrasive

Plural: abrasives

Noun

• A substance used for grinding, polishing, or cleaning a hard surface.
• a substance that abrades or wears down
• A hard inorganic substance or material consisting in powder or granule form such as sandpaper, pumice, or emery, used for cleaning, smoothing, or polishing.
• Rock fragments, sand grains, mineral particles, used by water, wind, and ice to abrade a land surface.

Adjective Satellite

• causing abrasion
• sharply disagreeable; rigorous
  • "an abrasive character"

Adj

• Producing abrasion; rough enough to wear away the outer surface.
• Being rough and coarse in manner or disposition; overly aggressive and causing irritation.

Examples

• An abrasive person can grate on one's sensibilities.
• Despite her proper upbringing, we found her manners to be terribly abrasive.
• His vocabulary was an abrasive, grinding my confidence down with every turn.

Synonyms

abradant, abrasive material, harsh, scratchy, cutting

Related Words

abrasion

Anagrams of abrasive