effaced

7 synonyms for effaced, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Verb — Past tense and past participle of efface: to rub out, erase or wear away a mark, inscription or image so that it can no longer be seen.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

erased

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

obliterated wiped out expunged rubbed out kept a low profile stayed in the background

Synonyms by Meaning

1. verb

Past tense and past participle of efface: to rub out, erase or wear away a mark, inscription or image so that it can no longer be seen.

“Centuries of rain had effaced the inscription on the stone.”

erased obliterated wiped out expunged rubbed out

2. verb

In the phrase 'effaced oneself': behaved modestly and avoided drawing attention to oneself.

“He effaced himself entirely, letting the younger staff take the credit.”

kept a low profile stayed in the background

How to use effaced

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

effaced by time effaced from history self-effaced fully effaced effaced and dilated

Literary in general use, routine in obstetric notes.

Etymology

From French 'effacer', to erase, from 'es-' (out) plus 'face', literally to remove the face or surface of something.

Full origin of effaced →

Frequently asked questions

What does it mean to be 80 per cent effaced?

It means the cervix has thinned to about a fifth of its usual length as labour approaches. Effacement is measured separately from dilation, which is how far the cervix has opened, and the two usually progress together.

What is the difference between effaced and erased?

'Erased' is the everyday word for removing writing or data. 'Effaced' is more literary and suggests gradual wearing away or deliberate blotting out of something's identity, as when a name is effaced from history.

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erased obliterated

Nearby words

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