grainy

play

adjective \ ˈgrā-nē \

Definition of grainy

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

See grainy defined for English-language learners

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 of grainy from the Web

The moment, captured in a tall, grainy cell-phone video was posted to Facebook by bar patron Shane Rice, before Thompson got ahold of it and uploaded it to the Callaghan's fan page.

— jared boyd, AL.com, "Watch this Alabama child play a gig with his favorite band at a Mobile concert," 30 Aug. 2017
The movie is shot with grainy 16-millimeter film, and there’s a quiet confusion to much of the story, which takes place largely at night by Brooklyn’s beaches, where unseen waves crash in the distance.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Beach Rats Is One of the Year’s Boldest Dramas," 25 Aug. 2017
Eggs boiled to a jammy consistency (6 minutes!) and smashed on grainy toast, topped with anchovies, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and a fistful of tender herbs.

— andy baraghani, Bon Appetit, "How to Cook Elaborate, Beautiful Meals for No One But Yourself," 7 Aug. 2017
Here is the play in which Tannehill went down: The grainy video is consistent with all instability.

— profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Video indicates ACL surgery will be needed for Tannehill," 3 Aug. 2017
Higher film speeds tend to create grainy photos, especially when the photos are enlarged.

— eric adler, idahostatesman, "Wind. Darkness. Once-in-a-lifetime event: Here’s how to photograph the solar eclipse," 2 Aug. 2017
The jury saw grainy video footage of her buying bandages and skin-care products.

— emily bazelon, New York Times, "She Was Convicted of Killing Her Mother. Prosecutors Withheld the Evidence That Would Have Freed Her.," 1 Aug. 2017
In 2007, grainy surveillance video from a Las Vegas casino showed Simpson leaving a sports memorabilia dealer's hotel room and heading back into the national spotlight.

— CBS News, "What you need to know about O.J. Simpson's upcoming parole hearing," 19 July 2017
One product of his southern trip was Nashville hot chicken, for which bird parts are brined, seasoned with cayenne and garlic, breaded and fried until crisp and deep golden, served drizzled with honey and house made grainy mustard and pickle slices.

— linda bladholm, miamiherald, "Can’t take the heat? Don’t eat this chicken," 17 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'grainy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of grainy

15th century

grainy Synonyms

Synonyms

grained, coarse, granular, granulated

Antonyms

dusty, fine, floury, powdery, superfine, ultrafine

Related Words

unfiltered, unrefined; earthy, gravelly, gritty, sandy; pebbly, rocky, stony (also stoney); coarse-grained, cracked, kibbled, lumpy, mealy

Near Antonyms

buttery, smooth, velvety; filtered, levigated, refined; close-grained, comminuted, ground, micronized, milled, mulled, pestled, pulverized, reduced, triturated

GRAINY Defined for English Language Learners

grainy

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adjective

Definition of grainy for English Language Learners

: not smooth or fine
of a photograph : not clear or sharp because of having a picture formed from many dots that are large enough to be seen

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for grainy Nglish: Translation of grainy for Spanish speakers

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grainy

Definition of grainy

graininess

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GRAINY Defined for English Language Learners

grainy

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grainy

Definition of grainy

graininess

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