Pronunciation: /rʌb ðə rɔŋ weɪ/
noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea
A1 My sister's teasing always rubs me the wrong way.
A2 The new company policy really rubs the wrong way for some employees.
B1 His constant bragging tends to rub the wrong way with his colleagues.
B2 The way she talks to her subordinates really rubs the wrong way with me.
C1 The politician's comments on immigration policy rubbed many people the wrong way.
C2 The CEO's decision to cut employee benefits rubbed the wrong way with the entire staff.
verb a word that expresses an action or a state of being
A1 The scratchy fabric of the new couch rubs me the wrong way.
A2 Her constant complaining about the weather really rubs me the wrong way.
B1 His arrogant attitude tends to rub people the wrong way.
B2 The way she always interrupts others in conversation can really rub some people the wrong way.
C1 The politician's controversial statements have been known to rub certain groups the wrong way.
C2 The company's decision to lay off employees without notice rubbed many of them the wrong way.
adverb a word that modifies or describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb
A1 The scratchy fabric of that sweater rubs me the wrong way.
A2 Her constant criticism really rubs him the wrong way.
B1 His arrogant attitude tends to rub people the wrong way.
B2 The way she interrupts others in conversations can rub some people the wrong way.
C1 The politician's controversial statements often rub the public the wrong way.
C2 The company's unethical business practices have rubbed many customers the wrong way.
preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence
A1 The scratchy fabric of that sweater rubs me the wrong way.
A2 Her constant complaining really rubs me the wrong way.
B1 His arrogant attitude tends to rub people the wrong way.
B2 I try to avoid discussing politics with him because our views always rub each other the wrong way.
C1 The new company policy rubbed employees the wrong way, leading to a lot of discontent.
C2 Her condescending tone always rubs me the wrong way, making it hard to have a civil conversation.
article a word that specifies a noun as definite or indefinite
A1 She always rubs me the wrong way with her constant complaining.
A2 His sarcastic comments tend to rub people the wrong way.
B1 The new manager's strict policies are starting to rub some employees the wrong way.
B2 Her arrogant attitude tends to rub her colleagues the wrong way.
C1 His condescending tone has a tendency to rub clients the wrong way.
C2 The politician's controversial statements have rubbed many constituents the wrong way.
formal His arrogant attitude tends to rub the wrong way with many of his colleagues.
informal Her constant bragging really rubs me the wrong way.
slang That guy's comments always rub me the wrong way, he's so annoying.
figurative The new policy change seems to rub the wrong way with a lot of employees.
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