jarring

adjective

jar·​ring ˈjär-iŋ 

: having a harshly concussive, disagreeable, or discordant effect

a jarring tackle

It is not hard to imagine how the wounded will fare in a long jarring ride over rough roads …

—William Baxter

After watching the British reports, I found the American ones jarring.

—Michael Massing

There is not a single jarring note from the minute you enter this turn-of-the-century palazzo, lovingly restored to its glory days …

—Kati Marton

jarringly adverb

jarringly harsh language

a jarringly hard hit

… an aroma that I found jarringly distracting …

—Randal Caparoso

The book is his angry, raunchy, opinionated, sometimes moving, jarringly frank autobiography …

—Brad Darrach

Synonyms

• amazing
• astonishing
• astounding
• blindsiding
• dumbfounding
• dumfounding
• eye-opening
• flabbergasting
• jaw-dropping
• jolting
• shocking
• startling
• stunning
• stupefying
• surprising

Examples of jarring in a Sentence

the jarring news that major financial institutions were on the verge of collapse

the final chord of that song is too jarring for me

Recent Examples on the Web

Most missionaries now start their training online at home, where the transition is less jarring. —Lauren Jackson, New York Times, 10 May 2024

The news might not have been totally surprising, first baseman Josh Bell said, but the timing was jarring. —Joseph D’hippolito, Miami Herald, 7 May 2024

Trending on Billboard The jarring visual accompanying the track shows footage of police getting violent with students protesting at college campuses, as well as deadly explosions taking place in Gaza City. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 7 May 2024

Last year, The Times won the Pulitzer for breaking news for its coverage of a secret audio recording that exposed L.A. City Council members scheming in crude and racist ways — a jarring look at the city’s political factions and power struggles. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2024

The song unfolds as a series of verses directed at Drake’s family members, culminating in a jarring accusation that Drake has an unclaimed 11-year-old daughter. —Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 6 May 2024

But seeing the photograph again was unexpectedly jarring. —Jill Gurvey, Twin Cities, 2 May 2024

These are just some of the jarring statistics on gender bias in medicine that inspired Carolee Lee to found Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM), an organization that advocates for more research involving and differentiating women. —Kelly Mickle, TIME, 2 May 2024

Yet, the dichotomy between their modern use and their historical purpose can be jarring. —TIME, 30 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined above