as in stroked
to praise too much
a candidate who knows that you have to massage the voters if you want to get elected
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Recent Examples of massaged
Or opt for the Oil Ceremony, where layers of delicately scented oils are massaged into the skin in a soothing ritual.
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Caitlin Gunther, Travel + Leisure, 25 Dec. 2025
Those of us without earplugs stupidly massaged our jaws, heads tilted, eyelids quivering, listening to overtones through our teeth.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Nov. 2025
Farmer told jurors at the trial that Maxwell allegedly massaged her breasts and Epstein climbed into bed with her without her permission.
—Kelsie Hoffman, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2025
During her cooking demo with King, the two stars prepared chicken sliders with homemade pimento cheese, a collard salad massaged with a vinaigrette made by the dynamic duo, topped with carrot ribbons, honeycrisp apples, orange wheels and feta cheese.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025
Cornerback Darnay Holmes, suffering from a thigh cramp and desperate to return to the game in the final minutes, pulled down his uniform pants — exposing his backside — while a trainer vigorously massaged the area.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Next to them, a blond, fit-looking woman, seated alone on a mat with crutches beside her, massaged herself, kneading muscles with her hands and using a scarf to help stretch her legs.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
In order to get the best results, apply a small amount to clean, dry skin in the evening, gently massaged in until it’s fully absorbed.
—Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
This whole thing seems staged, planned, finagled, massaged, bamboozled, lollygagged, and all sorts of other long, silly-sounding words that may not necessarily apply to this situation.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for massaged
Verb
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Influenced by her Indian heritage, Japanese craft philosophy, and the traditions of Shetland knitting, her work is highly distinctive and also wholly wearable; David and I stroked scarves, asymmetric wraps, and sweaters with yearning.—
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Trump’s allies have always stroked his ego to get their way.—
Verb
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While having tea with Wiggins, Charles commended Chatfield’s treatment and recovery rate.—
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Nikola Jurkovic, a member of technical staff at the influential METR AI research center, commended the paper’s contributions.—
Verb
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Special teams coordinator Tracy Smith has also routinely praised Scott’s willingness to do whatever is asked of him.—
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Officials praised the responders and said many of them received specialized water rescue training thanks to a federal grant.—
Verb
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The Indivisible Project, a nonprofit group that led protests against Avelo Airlines, on Thursday applauded the carrier's move to end its contract with DHS.—
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The union representing flight attendants for Avelo applauded the end of the ICE flights.—
Verb
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Many members of the DWTS fam congratulated the couple, including Julianne Hough, Derek’s sister, and Emma Slater.—
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In November of that year, Rivera congratulated Myha’la on Industry's first-season success.—
Cite this Entry
“Massaged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/massaged. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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