adjective
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of, like, containing, or resembling a granule or granules
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having a grainy or granulated surface
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of granular
Explanation
Something granular has a grainy texture. Granular sugar is the white kind you find in sugar bowls, and a sandy beach is very granular, too. Anything that's made of tiny bits like sand or grain can be called granular. In fact, it comes from the Latin word granum for "grain." Granular things can also be described as coarse and gritty. A smooth, shiny floor is the opposite of granular. When you see the word granular, think “grain of sand.” Or — “grain of sugar” if that’s more your style.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Still, he added, “I’m not sure how granular they get in trying to control for it or if it’s really possible.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
That granular data allows decisionmakers to allocate resources and target outreach to the areas with the highest need.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
They want to protect Schoenbrun’s film from the very analysis it’s encouraging, the deep, granular kind that causes all that subtext to fall apart.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
“There’s a lot of stuff, without getting to granular with it. ... He knows himself in terms of, ‘Am I able to stack back-to- back days?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
In what might be termed an experiment in psychological warfare, the attractant is combined with a granular material and distributed by planes.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
