grating

¹ American  

[gray-ting] / ˈgreɪ tɪŋ /

noun

• gratings
  plural

1. a fixed frame of bars or the like covering an opening to exclude persons, animals, coarse material, or objects while admitting light, air, or fine material.

2. Physics. diffraction grating.

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grating ² American  

[gray-ting] / ˈgreɪ tɪŋ /

adjective

1. irritating or unpleasant to one's feelings.

2. (of a sound or noise) harsh, discordant, or rasping.

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grating ¹ British  

/ ˈɡreɪtɪŋ /

adjective

1. (of sounds) harsh and rasping

2. annoying; irritating

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noun

1. (often plural) something produced by grating

grating ² British  

/ ˈɡreɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. Also called: grate. a framework of metal bars in the form of a grille set into a wall, pavement, etc, serving as a cover or guard but admitting air and sometimes light

2. short for diffraction grating

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gratingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gratings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of grating¹

First recorded in 1605–15; grat(e) ¹ + -ing ¹

Origin of grating²

First recorded in 1555–65; grat(e) ² + -ing ²

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Explanation

When something is grating, it's extremely harsh and irritating, like the grating sound of your alarm clock early on a Monday morning. As an adjective, grating is particularly good for describing unpleasant sounds, like the grating voice of someone who's nagging you. As a noun, a grating is an object in the shape of a grid, with parallel bars forming regular squares or rectangles. This kind of grating is often used as a cover for an opening, like the grating that covers a storm drain in the gutter or an exhaust fan in the ceiling.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grating gratings

It can be grating to send estimated quarterly tax payments to the IRS.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

The way AI talks to us is grating and disingenuous—and can even be harmful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Even though I find loudcasting intensely grating, I have never registered an official complaint and have only occasionally asked other passengers to turn the volume down on their device.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

The performance, perhaps intending to inject a note of potential menace, plays up Ru’s anger at the expense of his hurt — and comes off as grating and utterly unsympathetic.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

A key turns in the lock, a rasping, grating sound, metal against metal.

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Traditional spectrometers work by splitting light into its component colors using prisms or gratings, then measuring the intensity of each wavelength.

From Science Daily ● May 26, 2026

He looked through the door and was able to see a grating sitting on top of other gratings - leaving a void with the North Sea below it.

From BBC ● May 18, 2026

The principle of acoustic control of laser light in gases is not limited to the generation of optical gratings, the scientists emphasise.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 3, 2023

The lamprey ladder at Bonneville is an elaborate chute system with smooth surfaces lamprey can attach to, rounded corners, no gratings and places to rest.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 23, 2022

She found him in the sour soil at the bottoms of gratings.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

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