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

Raj’s meek voice could faintly be heard against the jarring cacophony of honking horns, street performers, and the chatter of street vendors and passersby. —Footwear News, 24 June 2025

The first-round knockout was a jarring return to the octagon. —Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 21 June 2025

Although Winters captures Sophie’s despair, her character gets compressed into a plot point and her arc produces a jarring shift in mood. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 20 June 2025

From an overhead view, the sight is somewhat jarring — a wide expressway and railroad track dividing the course essentially in half. —Noah Trister, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for jarring

• barring
• charring
• marring
• scarring
• sparring
• starring
• tarring
• debarring