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

• jarringly
  adverb
• unjarring
  adjective

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

Jarring as it might seem, the former federal public defender’s turn on Broadway isn’t completely unlikely.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2024

Jarring is executing a man who failed to receive a fair sentencing hearing by the Supreme Court’s own standards, and who raised that claim promptly.

From Washington Post • Feb. 24, 2023

Jarring for many indebted emerging economies around the world, the dollar is surging again.

From Reuters • Feb. 17, 2023

Jarring, too, was the speed with which the language of revolution and liberation was used to support beliefs that undermined the pan-Africanist aspirations of the anti-apartheid struggle.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 26, 2019

Jarring the ground with its big pounding wheels, the engine chugged by us.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• bumpy
• crushing
• disconcerting
• unsettling