galling

[ gaw-ling ]

adjective

1. that galls; chafing; irritating; vexing.

   Synonyms: provoking, annoying

galling

/ ˈɡɔːlɪŋ /

adjective

1. irritating, exasperating, or bitterly humiliating
2. obsolete.
   rubbing painfully; chafing

Derived Forms

• ˈgallingly, adverb

Other Words From

• galling·ly adverb
• galling·ness noun
• un·galling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of galling¹

First recorded in 1640–50; gall ² + -ing ²

Example Sentences

I have been to a variety of churches growing up, and the hypocrisy I’ve seen is galling.

From Washington Blade

And, in a galling irony, those who should be most concerned about those implications are the very people this worldview purports to protect.

From Washington Post

Because of her long-standing commitment to her workout regimen and strong play inside, the weight room disparity was particularly galling.

From Washington Post

The revelations were especially galling given how Cuomo had boasted about his handling of the pandemic while New Yorkers were still in its throes.

From Time

It’s great to see progress in the right direction, but it’s galling for anyone who falls outside of this and is still being actively discriminated against.

From Washington Blade

But it is particularly galling to watch the feminist superhero be treated in such a way.

From The Daily Beast

Runfola's defense is nothing short of galling–and her lawyer should be called out for it.

From The Daily Beast

To Palmer, the coincidence of his bullpen exile and his return to form was galling.

From The Daily Beast

How galling it must have been to her to see once radical manifestos used for nostalgia.

From The Daily Beast

That was galling for those who described the invasion of Iraq as a conflict of choice, not necessity.

From The Daily Beast

The galling part of it was that Aunt Linda knew, and was chuckling, so to speak, over my discomfiture.

From Project Gutenberg

As the British line advanced slowly and in exact order, the guides opened a galling fire.

From Project Gutenberg

Galling though the Irish laws were, they never went so far as to make the mere holding of heretical opinions criminal.

From Project Gutenberg

Yet it was infinitely galling to be hidden away in this manner.

From Project Gutenberg

Sometimes the thought seemed pleasant, then again it would be galling in the extreme.

From Project Gutenberg