From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishabrasivea‧bra‧sive1 /əˈbreɪsɪv/ adjective 1 RUDE/IMPOLITErude or unkind She was a tough girl with rather an abrasive manner.2 DHCRUBhaving a rough surface, especially one that can be used to clean something or make it smooth Smooth down with a fine abrasive paper. —abrasively adverb
Examples from the Corpus
abrasive• Conspicuously absent was Mr Ruslan Khasbulatov, the abrasive and ambitious Speaker, whose manoeuvring led to the latest crisis.• Harris was abrasive and arrogant.• However, they sometimes flex with use and can be damaged by abrasive cleaners.• a dry abrasive cleaning pad• If your body skin looks dull, removing dead skin with an abrasive glove can make a big difference.• She was a tough girl with an abrasive manner, and seemed very knowledgeable about the seamy side of life.• You can do this by hand with abrasive paper and a sanding block.• Rub the table down with a fine abrasive paper before painting it.• When hardened, smooth down with abrasive paper, then seal with plaster primer.• Anson's abrasive personality has landed her in trouble many time in the past.• an abrasive personality• He's such an abrasive spirit, isn't he?• He was a generous man with strong abrasive streaks and keen hatreds.• He is still haranguing rallies in the usual rabble-rousing, tub-thumping, arrogant and abrasive way.abrasiveabrasive2 noun [countable] DHCa rough powder or substance that you use for cleaning something or making it smoothExamples from the Corpus
abrasive• More aggressive chemicals are ruled out because of possible damage and abrasives are unsatisfactory as the aggregate lodges in surface scores.• Most interior surface finishes are easily damaged by abrasives.• Next to diamond dust, it was the hardest abrasive known to man.• The Maori obtained their nephrite adze blades by cutting grooves from either face of a boulder, using abrasives and water. 