grainy

[grey-nee]

adjective

grainier, grainiest 

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

Other Word Forms

• graininess noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of grainy¹

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

Example Sentences

The ground beneath me turns into smooth linoleum, rather than the grainy sand outside.

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That’s the beauty of film and its grainy cloak of memory: It lets you travel through time.

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Decisive evidence came from a grainy black-and-white photo taken by a German speed trap.

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Shot on film by cinematographer Alex Ashe to achieve a warm, grainy period look, the movie takes its two-people-talking premise as the unlikely springboard for a subtly rendered visual fantasia.

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Announcements of these strikes are usually accompanied with grainy footage but no evidence of the alleged drug trafficking and few details about who or what was on board each vessel.

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Related Words

• gritty 
• homespun