jarring

[ jahr-ing ]

adjective

1. having a harshly unpleasant or disturbing effect on one’s nerves, feelings, thoughts, etc.:

   The news of my cancer diagnosis was both jarring and devastating.

2. (of sounds) producing a harshly unpleasant effect; discordant:

   I’d much rather wake up to a gentle vibration than to the jarring sound of my phone alarm.

3. conflicting, clashing, or disagreeing:

   There is a jarring contrast between the trees and open space of the peaceful park and its hostile border of gray concrete warehouses and parking garages.

4. vibrating or shaking; characterized by sudden, jerky movements:

   There was enough rock on that trail to make for a jarring ride on a bike with narrow wheels and no suspension.

noun

1. the act, state, or effect of clashing or conflicting:

   Paradoxically, the jarring of an encounter with the arts in the middle of outdoor urban space creates a connection between them.

2. the act of shaking or the state of being shaken; sudden, jerky movement:

   The seats had no padding and I felt bruises forming from the jarring of the truck.

3. the act of disturbing a person by harsh, discordant sound or by something unsettling, unexpected, or unpleasant:

   For UK readers, using the British text edition makes for a comfortable read without the jarring of unfamiliar spelling or phrasing.

Other Word Forms

• jar·ring·ly adverb
• un·jar·ring adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of jarring¹

First recorded in 1550–60; jar ²( def ) + -ing ²( def ) for the adjective senses; jar ²( def ) + -ing ¹( def ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

Milioti likened her separate selves facing each other to “seeing yourself on video or hearing a voicemail you’ve left. I find it to be really jarring.”

From Los Angeles Times

I couldn’t help but laugh as August — the jokester of the herd — almost managed to knock over the instrument, filling the calm air with a jarring crash.

From Los Angeles Times

The initially jarring juxtaposition of then and now — fiction and documentary — quickly becomes intoxicating, inviting the viewer to both contemplate the ceaseless passage of time and ponder the seamless temporal transitions.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s jarring to realize this will be his 15th season and that he’ll turn 34 in August.

From Los Angeles Times

They get shoved into paper fast-food bags, drowned in sausage gravy and yanked from refrigerated tubes with a jarring pop.

From Salon

Related Words

• bumpy
• crushing
• disconcerting
• unsettling