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Synonyms

brushed

American  
[bruhsht] / brʌʃt /

adjective

  1. having a nap raised or a surface produced by a brushing process.

    brushed cotton.
brushed British  
/ brʌʃt /

adjective

  1. textiles treated with a brushing process to raise the nap and give a softer, warmer finish

    brushed nylon
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unbrushed adjective
  • well-brushed adjective

Etymology

Origin of brushed

late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at brush 1, -ed 2

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.

Bernard Arnault, chief executive of the world's biggest luxury conglomerate LVMH, brushed off speculation of his retirement on Thursday, telling shareholders that "we'll talk about all this again in seven to eight years".

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

“He brushed it off. He was like ‘Nah, nah, nah it’s okay, just sign this.’”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2026

Recalled Ed: “He just brushed me off, said he didn’t think that would look ‘welcoming.’

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Meanwhile, Zoufonoun had brushed aside Suleyman’s talk about AI governance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Instead I brushed my hands across my hair.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.