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Dictionary.com

wearing away

ADJECTIVE
decaying
Synonyms
STRONGEST
collapsing crumbling deteriorating
STRONG
decomposing disintegrating eroding oxidizing rusting spoiling
WEAK
breaking down breaking up falling to pieces in ruins wasting away
NOUN
disappearance
Synonyms
STRONGEST
departure exodus loss removal
STRONG
desertion disintegration dispersal dissipation dissolution ebbing eclipse escape evanescence evaporation exit fading flight going melting passing receding recession retirement wane withdrawal
WEAK
ceasing to exist decline and fall dematerialization disappearing act
Antonyms
STRONGEST
arrival entrance
STRONG
stay staying
WEAK
appearance coming
NOUN
friction
Synonyms
STRONGEST
agitation erosion irritation resistance
STRONG
abrasion attrition chafing filing grating grinding massage rasping scraping soreness traction
WEAK
fretting trituration
Antonyms
WEAK
agreement harmony peace
NOUN
vanishment
Synonyms
WEAK
ceasing to exist decline and fall dematerialization departure desertion disappearing act disintegration dispersal dissipation dissolution ebbing eclipse escape evanescence evaporation exit exodus fade-out fading flight going loss melting passing receding recession removal retirement wane withdrawal
NOUN
wear and tear
Synonyms
STRONGEST
depletion depreciation erosion
WEAK
ablation attrition consumption decrement dissipation hard wear overuse ravages of time weathering

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.

Debbie says the pain resulted from the knee implant slipping from the tibia and wearing away the bone.

From BBC • Aug. 12, 2025

The cause: a wearing away of the protective cartilage between joints in the foot.

From Washington Post • Jul. 18, 2022

Surgery to repair the meniscus revealed that cartilage was wearing away.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 14, 2021

Because it wasn’t a single epidemic, it was even harder to fight—it just steadily popped up, year after year, wearing away at the population.

From Slate • Feb. 9, 2021

The afternoon was wearing away when they scrambled and stumbled into a fold that was wider and deeper than any they had yet met.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien