slowly eat away at

Meanings

1. 1phrasetransitivefigurative

   to damage, reduce, or destroy something gradually over a long period.

   Grammar: Takes an object after 'at': the sea eats away at the cliffs.

   Patterns

   • slowly eat away at something
   • be slowly eaten away at by something

   Salt water has slowly eaten away at the old stone wall.

   Years of worry slowly ate away at his confidence.

   Rising costs are slowly eating away at our savings.

2. 2phrasetransitivefigurative

   to make someone feel increasingly anxious or unhappy over time.

   Grammar: The object is usually a person or a feeling; often used with 'worry', 'guilt', or 'doubt'.

   Patterns

   • slowly eat away at someone
   • slowly eat away at someone's confidence

   Guilt was slowly eating away at her.

   Constant criticism slowly eats away at a child's self-esteem.

Word forms

Common combinations

eat away at savings

Inflation is eating away at savings.

eat away at confidence

The repeated failures ate away at his confidence.

eat away at the coastline

Storms eat away at the coastline every winter.

slowly eat away at something

The acid slowly ate away at the metal pipe.

Synonyms and how they differ

erode

More formal and often used for land, rock, or trust; 'eat away at' is more vivid and informal.

undermine

Focuses on weakening something such as authority or confidence, not on physical wearing away.

corrode

Used mainly for metals and chemical damage, while 'eat away at' also works for feelings and money.

Opposites

Word family

eat away phrasal verb

to destroy or remove something gradually, without 'at'.

erosion noun

the gradual wearing away of soil, rock, or land.

Commonly confused: slowly eat away at or eat up?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “slowly eat away at”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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