grainy

adjective

ˈgrā-nē 

grainier; grainiest

1

: resembling or having some characteristic of grain : not smooth or fine

2

of a photograph : appearing to be composed of grain-like particles

graininess noun

Synonyms of grainy

• coarse
• grained
• sandy
• granular

Examples of grainy in a Sentence

The mustard has a grainy texture.

grainy sand kept it off the rankings as one of the nation's best beaches

Recent Examples on the Web

BigXthaPlug, a Dallas, Texas, vocalist with a deep, grainy, and authoritative mic presence, is one of the most intriguing voices in years. — Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026

So … no screen, no sound, grainy video, and having to start a new project for every three minutes of footage. — New Atlas, 31 Oct. 2026

Inside was one of the cards, which bore twenty-two lines, center-formatted on fine grainy stock, his signature at the bottom. — Nick Paumgarten, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

To promote the line, the brother-sister duo posed for Trey Laird, who used grainy Super-8 film to capture them in a room filled with flowers, shifting lights and shadows, seen below. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for grainy

• brainy
• cheyney
• rainey
• zany
• allegany
• miscellany
• theophany
• terrane