- present participle of gall.
galling
Americanadjective
adjective
-
irritating, exasperating, or bitterly humiliating
-
obsolete rubbing painfully; chafing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of galling
Explanation
Something that's galling is frustrating or exasperating. A galling argument with your parents leaves you irritated and indignant. Galling things make you angry. It would be galling to lose your job because of someone else's mistake, and it's galling to see some members of society being treated unfairly and feeling helpless to do anything about it. An article with a galling viewpoint makes you fume. Galling comes from the verb gall, which means "annoy," but originally was "chafe or rub until sore."
Vocabulary lists containing galling
Tuck Everlasting
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Unbroken
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A Separate Peace
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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.
What’s really galling to Scots is the culprit’s lack of ambition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
All of that must have been galling to O'Neill.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
To the U.A.E., this was especially galling because several OPEC+ states were routinely falling short of their production targets.
From Barron's ● May 4, 2026
Perhaps the most galling part of Cannon’s order, though, was that she issued it at all.
From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2026
“Almost as galling as being discovered in the midst of an embrace.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions 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.
