grating

¹ American  

[grey-ting] / ˈgreɪ tɪŋ /

noun

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  

[grey-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

• gratingly
  adverb

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

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

But for some in Labour the grating thing about their dismal position now is it's different to losing to the Conservatives - that feeling is familiar, it's in their DNA.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

Going the opposite way, Justin Theroux, as the Jeff Bezos-like billionaire with the sensibility of an oaf, is awful from the start and his schtick gets more grating the more he presses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

But despite Segel and Weaver’s best efforts, they can’t make this bickering duo deliciously awful, the characters proving more grating than hilariously combustible.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Because the grating strongly concentrates infrared light, this conversion becomes much more efficient.

From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026

A few feet above him, pale yellow sunlight shone through a grating; the feeble beam ended abruptly on a wall of rough, damp stone.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander