galling

American

[gaw-ling] / ˈgɔ lɪŋ /

adjective

that galls; chafing; irritating; vexing.

Synonyms:

provoking, annoying

galling British

/ ˈɡɔːlɪŋ /

adjective

irritating, exasperating, or bitterly humiliating
obsolete rubbing painfully; chafing

"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

Other Word Forms

gallingly adverb
gallingness noun
ungalling adjective

Etymology

Origin of galling

First recorded in 1640–50; gall ² + -ing ²

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.

The most galling part is how rarely they do.

From Salon • Feb. 25, 2026

Ms Dyson says she found the aftercare galling, and says this is commonplace for many women.

From BBC • Nov. 10, 2025

Garfield is all galling charisma and Edebiri is in some pallid register, like a Victorian ghost that you’re not sure whether to fear.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025

Maybe even more galling, Finebaum said his boss had “killed” a planned interview with Trump in 2019.

From Slate • Oct. 8, 2025

But there remained one particularly galling fact of life.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023