chafe

noun

anger produced by some annoying irritation

soreness and warmth caused by friction

verb

warm by rubbing, as with the hands

cause friction

tear or wear off the skin or make sore by abrading

cause annoyance in

feel extreme irritation or anger

become or make sore by or as if by rubbing

Roots

calefaciochafe- · Latin · make warm

Synonyms for chafe

irritatev rubn excoriatev annoyv rilev fretv scratchn vexv ranklev botherv abradev abrasionn irkv exasperatev irritationn detritionn gallingadj

Synonyms & related words for chafe

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of chafe — including irritate, rub, excoriate, annoy, rile, fret. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to chafe

Explore words related to chafe — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include exulcerate, gnawingly, intertrigo, emboil, chaffing, annoyance, vexation, galled. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for chafe

Common synonyms for chafe include irritate, rub, excoriate, annoy, rile, fret, scratch, vex — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does chafe come from?

The word chafe breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root chafe-, from Latin calefacio (“make warm”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.