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 Words From

• 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

Those mushrooms became a portal to my hometown, a culinary object so emotionally resonant, so distinct from the food I bought at my grocery store in California, that I always longed to forage and conserve a jar of my own.

From Eater

Place the duck on a cutting board, then drain the rendered fat into a heatproof jar.

From Washington Post

Ultraviolet and other forms of light can be very damaging to foods, especially those in clear packaging like jars and see-through plastic bags.

From Popular-Science

Drain the degreaser into a waste container—you’ll notice some oily residue and metal shavings from the manufacturing process in the degreaser and coating the jar.

From Outside Online

I used a jar of olives, but I’m sure you can come up with something better.

From Popular-Science

Is it somehow jarring to some people that the father who spoke these words is not black but white?

From The Daily Beast

In comparison, “Ring Off” is almost jarring in its more cooled down, island vibe.

From The Daily Beast

But Dalia and Perl view Hasidic Judaism with an open-mindedness that is jarring to outsiders—and likely their peers.

From The Daily Beast

However, their work is certainly jarring for the modern mind.

From The Daily Beast

A 36-story tower designed by Rafael Vinoly nicknamed the “walkie-talkie” curves outward as it rises, ungainly and jarring.

From The Daily Beast

Lessard uttered the command evenly, without a jarring note, his tone almost a duplicate of MacRae's.

From Project Gutenberg

A body fell stiffly into the room, struck the carpet with a dull, jarring sound.

From Project Gutenberg

How should one understand that the tones which seemed so harsh and jarring belonged in truth to a very code of sprightliness?

From Project Gutenberg

With jarring suddenness, a terrific shudder throbbed the length of the C-49, rattling the loose articles on the desk nearby.

From Project Gutenberg

A jarring crash that all but threw the men of the first crews from their feet, and the Death Trail had been met.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bumpy
• crushing
• disconcerting
• unsettling