grainy

\ ˈgrā-nē

How to pronounce grainy (audio)

\

grainier; grainiest

Definition of grainy

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

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

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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 And a New York Times review of hundreds of Florida police cases exposed that the software falls short in cases with grainy surveillance footage, and there's little oversight of how the police are using it. — Washington Post, "The Technology 202: Facial recognition gets another look on Capitol Hill today from skeptical lawmakers," 14 Jan. 2020 The pic's opening voiceover, accompanied by grainy footage of an exorcism, clues us into the meaning of the film's title. — Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, "'The Assent': Film Review," 8 Jan. 2020 The grainy, black-and-white footage from Monday shows a brief struggle as the girl's mother attempts to fight back before being pushed to the ground. — Katelyn Cordero, USA TODAY, "16-year-old was taken off NYC street in harrowing video. Reports say kidnapping was staged," 19 Dec. 2019 Earlier this month, grainy cellphone footage emerged showing Mexican pirates boarding a vacation riverboat demanding money and possessions from passengers at gunpoint. — Fox News, "Mexican pirates posing greater risk in Gulf of Mexico to oil workers, tourists," 1 Oct. 2019 Here, bone-in chicken thighs are slathered with a sweet-and-tangy mix of grainy mustard and maple syrup, then cooked at a high temperature for 20 minutes. — Washington Post, "Sheet Pan Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs and Red Cabbage," 16 Jan. 2020 The film’s grainy sequences and snatched transitions bore the hallmarks of home editing. — The Economist, "Death in the Alps," 20 Dec. 2019 But grainy archival evidence can’t really deliver transcendence, and who will pause in their museumgoing to absorb the full 27 minutes? — Rumaan Alam, The New Republic, "Merce Cunningham’s Dance Out of Time," 18 Dec. 2019 There’s a grainy texture to Zaidi’s low-key vocals, lending an earthy vibe to even the most atmospheric tracks. — Chrissie Dickinson, chicagotribune.com, "Ben Zaidi’s electro pop came to life in the solitude of a cabin in the woods," 21 Nov. 2019

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.

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Last Updated

8 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Grainy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grainy. Accessed 21 Feb. 2020.

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