grating

¹

[ grey-ting ]

noun

1. a fixed frame of bars or the like covering an opening to exclude persons, animals, coarse material, or objects while admitting light, air, or fine material.
2. Physics. diffraction grating.

grating

²

[ grey-ting ]

adjective

1. irritating or unpleasant to one's feelings.
2. (of a sound or noise) harsh, discordant, or rasping.

grating

¹

/ ˈɡreɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. Also calledgrate a framework of metal bars in the form of a grille set into a wall, pavement, etc, serving as a cover or guard but admitting air and sometimes light
2. short for diffraction grating

grating

²

/ ˈɡreɪtɪŋ /

adjective

1. (of sounds) harsh and rasping
2. annoying; irritating

noun

1. often plural something produced by grating

Derived Forms

• ˈgratingly, adverb

Other Words From

• grating·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of grating¹

First recorded in 1605–15; grat(e) ¹ + -ing ¹

Origin of grating²

First recorded in 1555–65; grat(e) ² + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Democratic candidates tend to have a style voters find grating.

From Salon

But comedy is subjective: What one person may find a laugh riot, another may dismiss as grating attention-seeking.

From Los Angeles Times

Watching her co-competitors give it their absolute all — especially Roberts, who is still navigating around injuries from a serious car accident that landed him in a three-day coma in 1981 — It felt all the more grating to suspect from the jump that the show was saving its "best" for last.

From Salon

On TikTok, the Harris campaign poked fun at Vance’s plane, which lurked in the background of a video featuring a viral audio clip of "Dance Moms" star Abby Lee Miller saying, “All of a sudden, I hear this agitating, grating voice.”

From Salon

Peacock was a grating addition to the streaming universe when it arrived in the deeply grating moment of April 2020.

From Slate