: 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
William BaxterAfter watching the British reports, I found the American ones jarring.—Michael Massing
Michael MassingThere 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
Kati Marton
jarringly
adverb
jarringly harsh language
a jarringly hard hit
… an aroma that I found jarringly distracting …
—Randal Caparoso
Randal Caparoso
The book is his angry, raunchy, opinionated, sometimes moving, jarringly frank autobiography …
—Brad Darrach
Brad Darrach
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
Eric handles the role of the older Simms, while Finn plays the character in flashback scenes — including a jarring opening sequence of him in action.
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
His firing was not necessarily surprising, but the speed of his downfall was still jarring.
—Mark Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
The switch from paying with one sort of card to another is far less jarring than going from coins to a piece of plastic.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
Much of the backlash is about how the moment was handled — a show-stopping speech right as the show’s action was escalating into its climactic crisis that some felt was cringey and jarring.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jarring
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
His firing was not necessarily surprising, but the speed of his downfall was still jarring.
—Mark Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
The switch from paying with one sort of card to another is far less jarring than going from coins to a piece of plastic.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 31 Dec. 2025
Much of the backlash is about how the moment was handled — a show-stopping speech right as the show’s action was escalating into its climactic crisis that some felt was cringey and jarring.
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 29 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jarring
Cite this Entry
“Jarring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jarring. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
