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Synonyms

galling

American  
[gaw-ling] / ˈgɔ lɪŋ /

adjective

  1. that galls; chafing; irritating; vexing.

    Synonyms:
    provoking, annoying
galling British  
/ ˈɡɔːlɪŋ /

adjective

  1. irritating, exasperating, or bitterly humiliating

  2. obsolete rubbing painfully; chafing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • gallingly adverb
  • gallingness noun
  • ungalling adjective

Etymology

Origin of galling

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.