grainy

[ grey-nee ]

adjective

, grain·i·er, grain·i·est.

1. resembling grain; granular.
2. full of grains grain or grain.
3. having a natural or simulated grain, as wood, wallpaper, etc.
4. Photography. (of a negative or positive) having a granular appearance.

grainy

/ ˈɡreɪnɪ /

adjective

1. resembling, full of, or composed of grain; granular
2. resembling the grain of wood, leather, etc
3. photog having poor definition because of large grain size

Derived Forms

• ˈgraininess, noun

Other Words From

• graini·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of grainy¹

First recorded in 1605–15; grain + -y ¹

Example Sentences

He frets about how identifiable he is in the grainy footage.

From The Daily Beast

Good news: so is this grainy TMZ footage of a Bieber/Bloom Ibiza brawl.

From The Daily Beast

My favorite began with a grainy black and white shot of a large snowdrift.

From The Daily Beast

They are grainy, low-resolution black-and-white pictures, more scruff than science.

From The Daily Beast

Upon closer inspection, the image, taken in Vietnam in 1972, is grainy, almost hazy.

From The Daily Beast

Stirring it even a little is apt to start crystallization and the candy will then be grainy instead of creamy.

From Project Gutenberg

It is at this point that crystallization begins, and the fondant, instead of being creamy, will become grainy.

From Project Gutenberg

Tau dug further into his kit, brought out the vial of white powder with its grainy lumps.

From Project Gutenberg

There he hid everything the leather bag had contained excepting the grainy powder.

From Project Gutenberg

The ink was a pale blue in places, deepening to a strong blue in other places, with grainy blue specks.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• gritty
• homespun