as in sharpened
having an edge thin enough to cut or pierce something using a finely honed butcher knife will make cutting meat easier
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in whetted
to make sharp or sharper honed the knife's blade to razor-like sharpness honed his crossword-puzzle skills by reading the dictionary as though it were a thrilling novel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rubbed
to make smooth by friction honed the edge of the axe until it was amazingly sharp
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of honed
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026 Ahmed’s electrifying turn illuminates the text, carefully honed by Lesslie. —Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026 Kyūsu, Japan Japanese kyūsu (teapot) artist Taisuke Shiraiwa honed his skills on the pottery wheel under the mentorship of master craftsman Konishi Yohei in Tokoname, Japan, a storied ceramics town. —Abbey Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026 Ahmed’s electrifying performance illuminates the text, carefully honed by Lesslie. —Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026 Pandikuthira mentioned the word Nürburgring, which is where the R35 GT-R was honed and developed when tested outside of Japan. —Joel Feder, The Drive, 2 Apr. 2026 Koehnemann’s emphasis on fundamentals was honed as Sandberg hit ground balls to him in the driveway. —Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026 The process of designing and engineering cars has been finely honed by automakers over the decades, even as computer technology has revolutionized the industry and safety standards and requirements strengthened. —Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 Johannesen added that Americans’ love of cooking, honed during the pandemic, has merged into this moment of at-home entertaining. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
Verb
Ashley isn’t that much brighter, but her instincts are well-honed to a fault. —Ben Travers, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026 Ahmed’s electrifying turn illuminates the text, carefully honed by Lesslie. —Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026 Kyūsu, Japan Japanese kyūsu (teapot) artist Taisuke Shiraiwa honed his skills on the pottery wheel under the mentorship of master craftsman Konishi Yohei in Tokoname, Japan, a storied ceramics town. —Abbey Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026 Ahmed’s electrifying performance illuminates the text, carefully honed by Lesslie. —Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026 Pandikuthira mentioned the word Nürburgring, which is where the R35 GT-R was honed and developed when tested outside of Japan. —Joel Feder, The Drive, 2 Apr. 2026 Koehnemann’s emphasis on fundamentals was honed as Sandberg hit ground balls to him in the driveway. —Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026 The process of designing and engineering cars has been finely honed by automakers over the decades, even as computer technology has revolutionized the industry and safety standards and requirements strengthened. —Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 Johannesen added that Americans’ love of cooking, honed during the pandemic, has merged into this moment of at-home entertaining. —The New York Times News Service Syndicate, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for honed
Verb
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The campaign that year felt predictable — Obama was favored to win — but the political climate was sharpened by the Tea Party, a conservative grassroots movement within the Republican Party that sought to repeal Obamacare.— Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Dial, 21 Apr. 2026
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As the Beatles began to splinter, Spitz writes, the Stones sharpened their focus.— Marc Ballon, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Kuroda mentioned other small incidents that rubbed him the wrong way as well.— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
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Hathaway rubbed her son's shoulder while smiling and laughing off the encounter.— Emily St. Martin, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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That level of support marks a sharp escalation from previous efforts.— Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026
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Kirby said that an impromptu office nap is his trick to staying sharp over his decades-long career in business.— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Kurt's key takeaways Cryptocurrency scams continue to grow because the scripts are polished and carefully tested.— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
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Not every song can be polished aggressively enough to sparkle.— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Cops have no control over false complaints being filed against him, the lawsuit states.— Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026
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Court documents reveal new details Court documents filed late last week provide some new insight into the case, as well as into Mendoza Hernandez’s background.— Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Honed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/honed. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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