a coarse-grained igneous rock composed chiefly of orthoclase and albite feldspars and of quartz, usually with lesser amounts of one or more other minerals, as mica, hornblende, or augite.
anything compared to this rock in great hardness, firmness, or durability.
a light-coloured coarse-grained acid plutonic igneous rock consisting of quartz, feldspars, and such ferromagnesian minerals as biotite or hornblende: widely used for building
great hardness, endurance, or resolution
another name for a stone
First recorded in 1640–50, granite is from the Italian word granito grainy. See grain, -ite 1
From French
How does granite compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Granite is a type of rock that's commonly polished smooth and used for things like kitchen counters. Granite is dark and textured, with swirls of lighter colors. Granite is such a popular material in kitchens, as well as memorial stones and statues, because it is very strong and can be polished to a high shine. It's sturdy enough that granite is also commonly used to construct tall buildings and to cover floors in commercial areas. The word comes from the Italian granito, which means "grained" and is rooted in the Latin word for "grain," granum.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"So now we're building a helipad, beautiful helipad, and it's got the seal of the White House on it -- in granite, carved granite, it's... really a beautiful thing," Trump told reporters.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Geotechnical surveys commissioned by the National Park Service concluded that the structural integrity of the granite on Black Elk Peak, the mountain formerly known as Harney Peak, is spent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
Shannon, 11, was on a school residential trip on Dartmoor in Devon when her leg got trapped between enormous granite boulders on Hound Tor on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Thankfully, the class of 2029 passes by and descends on their true target: a 21-foot slab of granite and grease.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
A hand was carved into his granite headstone.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
And the jiggly, just-set cardamom panna cotta with crystals of rhubarb granité on top.
From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2015
The nicest thing I can say about the long winter is that it allowed her citrus salad with tapioca pudding and orange-blossom granité to stay on the menu until May.
From New York Times ● May 27, 2014
For dessert, there was a gold-flecked slab of chocolate with ginger ice cream on the side to start, and some litchi granité accompanied by the tart rosehip jam.
From New York Times ● May 25, 2011
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.
