grating
1 of 2noun
grat·ing ˈgrā-tiŋ 
1
: a wooden or metal lattice used to close or floor an opening
2
: a partition, covering, or frame of parallel bars or crossbars
3
: a system of close equidistant and parallel lines or bars ruled on a polished surface to produce spectra by diffraction
grating
2 of 2adjective
: causing irritation or annoyance
a grating habit
It's not just that the interruptions themselves are grating to watch: what's worse is the hostilities they create.
Heather Schwedel
Heather Schwedel often : having a harsh or unpleasant sound
a grating voice/accent
If you just imagined that last quote spoken in Gottfried's grating, obnoxious yelling, that's now how you would hear him on the phone. Blake Hannon
Blake Hannon The truck braked noisily with a grating shriek of steel. Mildred D. Taylor
Mildred D. Taylor gratingly adverb
a gratingly harsh sound
Something in Orcutt's proprietary manner had irritated her at that first meeting, something she found gratingly egotistical in his expansive courtesy … Philip Roth
Philip Roth 
Synonyms
Adjective
- grotesque
- harsh
- jarring
- unaesthetic
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Ingfei Chen, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2022 Top with a final grating of Parmesan and the breadcrumbs, and garnish with the remaining anchovies. San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022 Some viewers applauded her magnetism and dry humor; others found her personality grating and her lack of boundaries unforgivable. The New Yorker, 22 May 2022 Providing reductive lessons in gay culture, the grating voice-over describes Fire Island as a gay Disney World with a community separating levels of attraction based on race, ethnicity, wealth and body types. Robert Daniels, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2022 The grating image mad Aggies used 20 years ago to spur changes? Brent Zwerneman, San Antonio Express-News, 12 July 2022 Many on the left today would find the newspaper’s accolade grating in its embrace of the classical West. Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 24 June 2022 But even the grating – albeit perky – bop with its dusting of sax and funk demonstrated John’s musical elasticity. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 1 June 2022 Which raises a grating question: How long will the revulsion last—not only in Germany but in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, even eternally neutral Switzerland, which has joined in? Josef Joffe, WSJ, 2 Mar. 2022 See More
Noun
Their woodshed had been shielded with metal screen panels to keep out embers, and their doormats were made of metal grating. Ingfei Chen, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2022 Top with a final grating of Parmesan and the breadcrumbs, and garnish with the remaining anchovies. San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 2022 Some viewers applauded her magnetism and dry humor; others found her personality grating and her lack of boundaries unforgivable. The New Yorker, 22 May 2022 Providing reductive lessons in gay culture, the grating voice-over describes Fire Island as a gay Disney World with a community separating levels of attraction based on race, ethnicity, wealth and body types. Robert Daniels, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2022 The grating image mad Aggies used 20 years ago to spur changes? Brent Zwerneman, San Antonio Express-News, 12 July 2022 Many on the left today would find the newspaper’s accolade grating in its embrace of the classical West. Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 24 June 2022 But even the grating – albeit perky – bop with its dusting of sax and funk demonstrated John’s musical elasticity. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 1 June 2022 Which raises a grating question: How long will the revulsion last—not only in Germany but in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, even eternally neutral Switzerland, which has joined in? Josef Joffe, WSJ, 2 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective
1563, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing grating
Kids Definition
grating
noun
grat·ing
ˈgrā-tiŋ
: grate entry 2 sense 1
Medical Definition
grating
noun
grat·ing ˈgrāt-iŋ
: a system of close equidistant and parallel lines or bars ruled on a polished surface to produce spectra by diffraction
called also diffraction grating
grating 1 of 2
adjective
1
as in loud
disagreeable to one's aesthetic or artistic sense the mix of colors in that painting is terribly grating Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- loud
- jarring
- harsh
- grotesque
- ugly
- unpleasant
- unaesthetic
- disgusting
- unpleasing
- repulsive
- tawdry
- acid
- tacky
- garish
- dissonant
- gaudy
- jolting
- tasteless
- disagreeable
- blaring
- uncouth
- unmelodious
- bizarre
- jangling
- raspy
- inelegant
- inartistic
- vulgar
- clashing
- repugnant
- artless
- crude
- disharmonious
- flashy
- unmusical
- odd
- raucous
- unrefined
- inharmonious
- off-key
- ragged
- uncultured
- clumsy
- obscene
- unartistic
- gross
- outlandish
- rude
- discordant
- shocking
- kinky
- graceless
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- aesthetic
- esthetic
- attractive
- becoming
- appealing
- artistic
- artful
- pleasing
- soothing
- comforting
- agreeable
- beautiful
- good
- comely
- softened
- harmonious
- calming
- aesthetical
- esthetical
- felicitous
- subdued
- harmonizing
- polished
- seemly
- refined
- elegant
- cultured
- tasteful
- graceful
- gracious
2
as in hoarse
harsh and dry in sound with a grating voice, she croaked a feeble "hello" Synonyms & Similar Words
- hoarse
- gruff
- rasping
- coarse
- husky
- gravel
- gravelly
- rusty
- raspy
- grinding
- scratchy
- croaking
- growling
- abrasive
- throaty
- croaky
- scraping
- strained
- jarring
- scratching
- cracked
- screeching
- choked
- guttural
- squawking
- strident
- rough
- strangled
- dissonant
- discordant
- raucous
- cacophonous
- growly
- cawing
- unmusical
- inharmonious
- unmelodious
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- liquid
- soothing
- mellifluous
- sweet
- gentle
- mellow
- golden
- soft
- smooth
- tender
- musical
- mellifluent
- melodious
- melodic
- velvety
- gliding
- silken
- lyric
- satiny
- lyrical
- euphonious
grating
2 of 2verb
1
as in annoying
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts unintentionally or not, you say rude things that grate people Synonyms & Similar Words
- annoying
- irritating
- bothering
- bugging
- persecuting
- aggravating
- getting
- exasperating
- rasping
- eating
- infuriating
- griping
- nettling
- frosting
- galling
- vexing
- chafing
- riling
- worrying
- insulting
- irking
- teasing
- spiting
- itching
- narking
- peeving
- ruffling
- plaguing
- provoking
- getting to
- wearing on
- angering
- putting out
- piquing
- nagging
- offending
- unsettling
- heckling
- harassing
- sticking in one's craw
- maddening
- agitating
- enraging
- upsetting
- burning (up)
- getting on one's nerves
- setting one's teeth on edge
- getting one's goat
- rousing
- hacking (off)
- rubbing the wrong way
- disquieting
- badgering
- perturbing
- hassling
- incensing
- distressing
- antagonizing
- baiting
- harrying
- discomforting
- unhinging
- roiling
- rankling
- pestering
- inflaming
- affronting
- exercising
- bullyragging
- fretting
- ballyragging
- deviling
- devilling
- undoing
- outraging
- enflaming
- discomposing
- hagriding
- miffing
- freaking (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- placating
- gratifying
- satisfying
- appeasing
- pleasing
- conciliating
- pacifying
- mollifying
- comforting
- obliging
- soothing
- reassuring
- propitiating
- quieting
- delighting
- cheering
- assuring
- consoling
- gladdening
- contenting
- solacing
2
as in scratching
to pass roughly and noisily over or against a surface the sled grated along the bare pavement Synonyms & Similar Words
- scratching
- grinding
- scraping
- rasping
- rubbing
- whining
- groaning
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- sliding
- gliding
- skating
3
as in scraping
to press or strike against or together so as to make a scraping sound he grated the pieces of metal together Synonyms & Similar Words
- scraping
- grinding
- gritting
- scratching
- crunching
- creaking
- whining
- gnashing
- groaning
- moaning
- rasping
- jarring
- scrunching
- clashing
- jangling
- colliding