Showing results for "jarring"

• present participle of jar.

jarring

American  

[jahr-ing] / ˈdʒɑr ɪŋ /

adjective

1. having a harshly unpleasant or disturbing effect on one’s nerves, feelings, thoughts, etc..

   The news of my cancer diagnosis was both jarring and devastating.

2. (of sounds) producing a harshly unpleasant effect; discordant.

   I’d much rather wake up to a gentle vibration than to the jarring sound of my phone alarm.

3. conflicting, clashing, or disagreeing.

   There is a jarring contrast between the trees and open space of the peaceful park and its hostile border of gray concrete warehouses and parking garages.

4. vibrating or shaking; characterized by sudden, jerky movements.

   There was enough rock on that trail to make for a jarring ride on a bike with narrow wheels and no suspension.

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noun

1. the act, state, or effect of clashing or conflicting.

   Paradoxically, the jarring of an encounter with the arts in the middle of outdoor urban space creates a connection between them.

2. the act of shaking or the state of being shaken; sudden, jerky movement.

   The seats had no padding and I felt bruises forming from the jarring of the truck.

3. the act of disturbing a person by harsh, discordant sound or by something unsettling, unexpected, or unpleasant.

   For UK readers, using the British text edition makes for a comfortable read without the jarring of unfamiliar spelling or phrasing.

Other Word Forms

• unjarring
  adjective
• jarringly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of jarring

First recorded in 1550–60; jar ² ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; jar ² ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Explanation

A loud, abrupt, shocking noise is jarring. If the sound of your telephone ringing is jarring, it will make you jump. The jarring noise of the garbage truck screeching to a stop in front of your house might make your dog bark furiously, and a sudden jarring sound from your car's engine means you should probably pull off of the highway to find out what's wrong. Other things that shock or disturb you are also jarring. The word comes from the verb jar, "to disturb, perturb, or produce a harsh sound."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

jarring

The roughly 7 million student-loan borrowers who were enrolled in SAVE, a Biden-era repayment program, will likely experience some of the most jarring changes over the next few months.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

The shift is slightly jarring, akin to settling in for an episode of “Baywatch” and suddenly finding yourself watching “On the Waterfront.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

My recitation about the environmental ingenuity of enslaved people in the Underground Railroad was clearly jarring to many in the audience, perhaps even hostile to their understanding of Blackness.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026

Political experts argue that messages that seem contradictory to a candidate’s background, as well as drowning voters with incessant ads, can be jarring and off-putting to the electorate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

So maybe the jarring movement of jogging is clouding my judgment.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Related Words

• bumpy
• crushing
• disconcerting
• unsettling