galling

[ gaw-ling ]

/ ˈgɔ lɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR galling ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

that galls; chafing; irritating; vexing; exasperating.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

gallimaufry, gallinacean, gallinaceous, gallinas, gallinas point, galling, gallingly, gallinipper, gallinule, galliot, gallipoli

Origin of galling

First recorded in 1640–50; gall² + -ing²

Related formsgall·ing·ly, adverbgall·ing·ness, nounun·gall·ing, adjective

Definition for galling (2 of 2)

gall

[ gawl ]

/ gɔl /

verb (used with object)

to make sore by rubbing; chafe severely: The saddle galled the horse's back.

to vex or irritate greatly: His arrogant manner galls me.

verb (used without object)

to be or become chafed.

Machinery. (of either of two engaging metal parts) to lose metal to the other because of heat or molecular attraction resulting from friction.

Metallurgy. (of a die or compact in powder metallurgy) to lose surface material through adhesion to the die.

noun

a sore on the skin, especially of a horse, due to rubbing; excoriation.

something very vexing or irritating.

a state of vexation or irritation.

Origin of gall

before 1000; Middle English galle (noun), gallen (v.) perhaps < Middle Dutch, Middle Low German gall, akin to Old English gealla sore on a horse

Related formsun·galled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for galling

Runfola's defense is nothing short of galling–and her lawyer should be called out for it.
Should Twitter Suspend LGBT Engineer Accused Of Raping Her Wife?|Emily Shire|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To Palmer, the coincidence of his bullpen exile and his return to form was galling.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How galling it must have been to her to see once radical manifestos used for nostalgia.
Still Desperately Seeking Susan Sontag|Allen Barra|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That was galling for those who described the invasion of Iraq as a conflict of choice, not necessity.
The Rhinohawks Come Roaring Back|James Poulos|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But, boy oh boy, are we about to enter a galling period of hearing them pretend otherwise.
Running From Romney: the GOP’s Phony New Compassion|Michael Tomasky|November 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The inquisitors found it galling and surmounted the obstacle with an utterly disgraceful quibble.
Medival Heresy and the Inquisition|A. S. Turberville
That, after all, was sufficient; left his friends mind without rancor for his galling truth-telling.
The Confounding of Camelia|Anne Douglas Sedgwick
It was galling to feel that he had no confidence in my coolness or my nerve, when neither had ever failed him at a pinch.
A Thief in the Night|E. W. Hornung
It was galling to their pride to think that a mere handful of pale-faces were able to withstand their onslaughts so successfully.
The Indians' Last Fight|Dennis Collins
It must be galling for your ally to have to fight a people so small in numbers but so great in their unconquerable resolution.
Punch or the London Charivari, Vol. 148, January 27, 1915|Various

British Dictionary definitions for galling (1 of 4)

galling

/ (ˈɡɔːlɪŋ) /

adjective

irritating, exasperating, or bitterly humiliating

obsolete rubbing painfully; chafing

Derived Formsgallingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for galling (2 of 4)

gall

/ (ɡɔːl) /

noun

informal impudence

bitterness; rancour

something bitter or disagreeable

physiol an obsolete term for bile 1

an obsolete term for gall bladder

Word Origin for gall

from Old Norse, replacing Old English gealla; related to Old High German galla, Greek kholē

British Dictionary definitions for galling (3 of 4)

gall

/ (ɡɔːl) /

noun

a sore on the skin caused by chafing

something that causes vexation or annoyancea gall to the spirits

irritation; exasperation

verb

pathol to abrade (the skin, etc) as by rubbing

(tr) to irritate or annoy; vex

Word Origin for gall

C14: of Germanic origin; related to Old English gealla sore on a horse, and perhaps to gall 1

British Dictionary definitions for galling (4 of 4)

gall

/ (ɡɔːl) /

noun

an abnormal outgrowth in plant tissue caused by certain parasitic insects, fungi, bacteria, or mechanical injury

Word Origin for gall

C14: from Old French galle, from Latin galla

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

Word Origin and History for galling (1 of 4)

galling

adj.

"irritating, offensive," 1580s, figurative use of present participle of gall (v.).

Word Origin and History for galling (1 of 4)

gall

n.1

"bile," Old English galla (Anglian), gealla (W. Saxon) "gall, bile," from Proto-Germanic *gallon- (cf. Old Norse gall, Old Saxon, Old High German galla, German Galle), from PIE root *ghel- "gold, yellow, yellowish-green" (see Chloe). Informal sense of "impudence, boldness" first recorded American English 1882; but meaning "embittered spirit, rancor" is from c.1200, from the medieval theory of humors. Gall bladder recorded from 1670s.

Word Origin and History for galling (2 of 4)

gall

n.2

"sore spot on a horse," Old English gealla "painful swelling," from Latin galla "gall, lump on plant," originally "oak apple," of uncertain origin. Perhaps from or influenced by gall (1) on notion of "poison-sore." German galle, Dutch gal also are from Latin.

Word Origin and History for galling (3 of 4)

gall

"to make sore by chafing," mid-15c., from gall (n.2). Earlier "to have sores, be sore" (early 14c.). Figurative sense of "harass, irritate" is from 1570s. Related: Galled; galling.

Science definitions for galling

gall

[ gôl ]

An abnormal swelling of plant tissue, caused by injury or by parasitic organisms such as insects, mites, nematodes, and bacteria. Parasites stimulate the production of galls by secreting chemical irritants on or in the plant tissue. Galls stimulated by egg-laying parasites typically provide a protective environment in which the eggs can hatch and the pupae develop, and they usually do only minor damage to the host plant. Gall-stimulating fungi and microorganisms, such as the bacterium that causes crown gall, are generally considered to be plant diseases.