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.

---

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.

---

grating ¹ British  

/ ˈɡreɪtɪŋ /

adjective

1. (of sounds) harsh and rasping

2. annoying; irritating

---

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

---

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

Example Sentences

The leap was swift and steep—and grating on consumers already weary from years of entrenched inflation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Loud was part of her, grating against a wrongness she perceived but couldn’t identify, something in her family that had no name or face but demanded to make a sound through her.

From Literature

The tortoise cut in with a flat, grating voice: “Did you two need something, or did you just come to ruin my fun?”

From Literature

This widens the gap with Grana Padano, a competitor with less stringent production rules, as well as other cheeses meant for grating.

From Barron's

These charismatics have been around so long that the things people used to find grating about them are now charming.

From The Wall Street Journal