as in eroding
to consume or wear away gradually
time has gnawed that author's reputation to the point where he rates little more than a footnote
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Recent Examples of gnawing
Sybil bears a tremendous burden and gnawing guilt.
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Shruti Mutalik, Baltimore Sun, 7 Jan. 2026
From luxury produce selling for nearly $20 apiece to babies gnawing on rib-eye steaks, food and drink extremes in 2025 reflected American culture in unique ways.
—Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 2 Jan. 2026
Doubt tears away at us like rats gnawing away under the floorboards in the house of being.
—Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Guillermo del Toro has long told stories about the gnawing ache of being alive.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Dec. 2025
But there is no parallel resolution to Aggie’s relationship to her role as a mother, to her gnawing grief and its consequences.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 6 Dec. 2025
There came a moment—probably before the husband dragged the child, gnawing on his gloved hand, through attic insulation—when things shifted like a plank laying across a fulcrum, weight placed on one end.
—Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2025
Yet the techno-optimism sweeping the production community is accompanied by a gnawing anxiety about the way established IP is at risk of being ripped off and remixed.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2025
Some live with the gnawing fear of running out of options.
—Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gnawing
Verb
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Ride-hailing dominance is eroding consumer brand perception Market dynamics show that ride-hailing operators prioritize vehicles that deliver the strongest cost-to-performance ratio, often selecting models purely on economic efficiency.—
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But inflation and low interest rates end up eroding the value of household savings.—
Verb
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Whether lounging in white wicker rocking chairs or eating outside off wrought iron tables, some patio furniture will always be reminiscent of her.—
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In search of evidence Doctors kept asking Nicole what Hannah had been eating in the months leading up to her hospital stay.—
Cite this Entry
“Gnawing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gnawing. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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