eats away
Slowly breaks down
Eats away describes gradual destruction or erosion.
Acid eats away at metal, water eats away at rock, guilt eats away at a person's conscience.
The phrase implies slow, persistent damage rather than sudden destruction: Inflation eats away at your savings, Doubt had been eating away at her for months.
Diminish through persistent friction
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- abradeErode through friction
- scourClean by hard rubbing
- undermineWeaken by stealth
gnaw · grind · crumble · disintegrate · dissolve · denude · strip · excavate
Organic breakdown process
- decomposeBreak into simpler parts
- putrefyDecompose with stench
- moldForm-giving container
- fungusSpore-bearing organism
spoilage · biodegradation · bacteria · necrosis · fester · canker · blight · wither
Bite repeatedly at
- tormentSevere prolonged suffering
- hauntTrouble persistently, as spirits
- consumeTake in fully
- obsessDwell on compulsively
fester · nag · plague · burden · guilt · regret · worry · anxiety
Shallow surface wound
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- rubbingApplying pressure while moving
- chafingIrritation from friction
- grindingMolar action sometimes
scouring · fretting · galling · thinning · depletion · wear · gradual · constant
erode
Diminish through persistent friction
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- abradeErode through friction
- scourClean by hard rubbing
undermine · gnaw · grind · crumble · disintegrate · dissolve · denude · strip · excavate · wash
rot
Organic breakdown process
fungus · spoilage · biodegradation · bacteria · necrosis · fester · canker · blight · wither · perishable
gnaw
Bite repeatedly at
obsess · fester · nag · plague · burden · guilt · regret · worry · anxiety · jealousy
abrasion
Shallow surface wound
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- rubbingApplying pressure while moving
- chafingIrritation from friction
grinding · scouring · fretting · galling · thinning · depletion · wear · gradual · constant · surface
devour
Eat greedily and fast
munch · feast · voracious · insatiable · appetite · hunger · graze · gobble · ravenous · predatory
rust
Iron oxide coating
- corrodeDestroy through chemical action
- oxidizeCombine with oxygen
- tarnishOxidation discoloration on metal
pitting · galvanic · electrolysis · cathodic · acidic · alkaline · chloride · crevice · anode · cathode
eats awaypreserves
Cooked fruit in sugar
protects · conserves · maintains · safeguards · shields
eats awayexplodes
Bursts apart violently
shatters · demolishes · obliterates · blasts · annihilates