rubbing off
Habits becoming contagious
Rubbing off describes influence or qualities transferring from one thing to another through contact or proximity.
Paint rubs off a wet wall onto your sleeve.
More often figurative: a mentor's discipline rubs off on a student, or someone's bad attitude rubs off on coworkers.
I hope some of her optimism rubs off on me.
The transfer can be positive or negative but implies gradual, often unconscious absorption.
- smudgeUnclear dirty mark
- abrasionShallow surface wound
- frictionResistance between touching surfaces
- wearing thinGradually losing effectiveness
- contagionDisease spread by contact
color transfer · bad habits · legacy · transfer · adoption · mimicry · monkey see monkey do · imitation · bleed · inheritance · erasure · emulation · learned behavior · scraping · assimilation · influence · good influence · impression
rubbing offresisting
Actively opposing pressure
indoctrination · tuning out · rejecting · compartmentalizing · holding firm
rubbing offapplying
Putting into use
adhering · sticking · depositing · putting on · clinging
rub, off, rubs, rubbed, rubber, rubbing, rubbers, rubbery, rubdown