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Glite Dictionary
🧽 To peel off 🌱 To grow leaves
to exfoliate

to exfoliate

11 6.2
To come off in thin layers, like peeling bark
  • verb
  • /ɛksˈfoʊliˌeɪt/
: exfoliar
  • We are going to cleanse and exfoliate the top layer of the skin.
  • exfoliated skin
  • gently exfoliate
  • exfoliating scrub

OK, so in my shower, I exfoliate my whole body, my whole skin.

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Examples

  • One of the best dry skin remedies is to exfoliate your skin regularly.

    Blog text (16)

  • A microdermabrasion helps to physically exfoliate the skin and induce cell turnover.

    Blog text (7)

  • Be sure to wash your face daily and exfoliate one to two times a week.

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  • So that is how to exfoliate your lips easily.

  • The loofah is going to exfoliate your skin.

  • To keep your epidermis shining, you need to exfoliate your skin layer one or more times every week.

    Blog text (9)

  • Always remember to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize, no matter what your skin type is.

    Blog text (16)

  • To get radiant, youthful-looking skin, it is crucial that you discover how to exfoliate properly.

    Blog text (9)

  • Baking soda makes a wonderful exfoliating scrub for the face and other parts of the body.

    Blog text (3)

  • To achieve smooth skin, it is important to exfoliate regularly using a gentle scrub.

Synonyms

to peel
vsto exfoliate
41 3.0

Come off in thin pieces because of age or damage

is broader for any coming away, not only natural shedding layers
to flake
vsto exfoliate
11 2.6

To come off in thin flat pieces or make something lose thin flat pieces

is focused on small piece formation rather than layered shedding
to rub off
vsto exfoliate
8 3.4

Come off a surface when something moves against it

is the general passive shedding process without mechanical rubbing
to peel off
vsto exfoliate
5 3.9

To come away in strips because of age or damage

is used for thin layer loss but often implies larger strips
to flake off
vsto exfoliate
3 3.9

To come off a surface in small thin pieces

is about thin layers or flakes detaching, not only small fragments
to slough off
vsto exfoliate
  • Specialized
3 9.0

To come away from living tissue, for example dead skin leaving a wound

is focused on thin layer shedding rather than full tissue loss
to desquamate
vsto exfoliate
  • Specialized
1 9.9

To come off in thin flakes like skin after a sunburn

is a general, nontechnical word covering many materials shedding thin layers
to exuviate
vsto exfoliate
  • Specialized
9.9

To shed old skin, feathers, or hair when an animal grows

is broader, applying to both living tissue and nonliving surfaces

How Much

to slough off
  • Specialized
3 9.0
to exfoliate
11 6.2
to peel
41 3.0
to flake
11 2.6

Surface Forms

exfoliate infinitive
exfoliated past
exfoliated past participle
exfoliating present participle
exfoliates third person singular

Morphology

exfoliate = foliate (opaque) = ex + foli + ate

If a learner knows the rare verb 'foliate', adding 'ex-' can suggest removing or coming off in leaflike layers, though the common skincare sense is specialized.

Etymology

Exfoliate comes from Latin parts ex- 'out' and folium 'leaf'. Think of it as peeling away thin 'leaves' or layers from a surface, so to exfoliate is to shed or peel off thin, leaf-like layers.