galling
Americanadjective
adjective
-
irritating, exasperating, or bitterly humiliating
-
obsolete rubbing painfully; chafing
Other Word Forms
- gallingly adverb
- gallingness noun
- ungalling adjective
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.
It has been particularly galling, Williamson said, because "confidence was starting to build a little bit" in the sector.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
Perhaps the most galling part of Cannon’s order, though, was that she issued it at all.
From Slate • Feb. 26, 2026
The most galling part is how rarely they do.
From Salon • Feb. 25, 2026
It’s particularly galling to schools hovering on the line between good and great, because a program no longer needs to be great to get a shot at the national championship.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025
And nothing was more galling to my uncle than finding me outside, sitting cross-legged on a grass mat, studying and writing my letters, which I copied from the Qur’an.
From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince
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.
