galling 1 of 2

adjective

ˈgȯ-liŋ How to pronounce galling (audio)
Definition of gallingnext
1
as in frustrating
causing annoyance her holier-than-thou attitude is galling

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in painful
hard to accept or bear especially emotionally losing in the last round of play-offs was galling to our home team

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

galling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of gall
1
as in eroding
to damage or diminish by continued friction move that rope so the sharp edge of the hull doesn't gall it

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2
as in annoying
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts humming through your nose like that absolutely galls me

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in irritating
to make sore by continued rubbing tie your shoes so they don't gall your heels sliding on and off like that

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of galling
Adjective
Early reviews of the series, including ours from Ben Travers, pointed out some of the more galling characterizations of Hannah within the show. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 6 Mar. 2026 Especially galling is how the state Democratic Party has done next to nothing to help Latinos become household names who can win. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Verb
Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri found the trauma plot especially galling in FNAF2, since that’s what every horror movie is about nowadays. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2025 Particularly galling to California taxpayers – who must balance the family budget in a state with a punishinglyhigh cost of living – is the fact that the deficits persist even with huge revenue increases. — Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 24 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for galling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for galling
  1. frustrating
  2. painful
  3. eroding
  4. annoying
  5. irritating
  6. disturbing
  7. harsh
  8. wearing
Adjective
  • Conversely, there are moments throughout Pompeii where the trail goes cold due to insufficient documentation from 2,000 years ago, frustrating Hiddleston in the process.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026
  • The recent weakness has been frustrating given the company's strong fundamentals.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz,Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 16 July 2026
Definition of frustrating
Adjective
  • When asked whether this was the most painful moment of his football career, Tuchel would not commit.
    — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • England was knocked out of the World Cup in painful fashion on Wednesday, surrendering two goals in the final 15 minutes of its semifinal clash with Argentina.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 18 July 2026
Definition of painful
Verb
  • Vance has seen his support eroding, both in and outside of Jewish circles.
    — Joseph Strauss, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
  • The analysis likely assumed customer traffic would transfer from drive-in to drive-thru without eroding customers’ affinity for the drive-in experience.
    — Clifford Hudson, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of eroding
Verb
  • Of course, this would depend on whether the managers choose to pick their strongest teams in what for some is a meaningless, even annoying extra fixture, for squads who just want to go home.
    — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • The Manchester City star is fully back to his 2024 Ballon d’Or-winning self, marshaling the middle, providing amazing connection between the front and back and even annoying the French players with some gamesmanship near the end.
    — Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 14 July 2026
Definition of annoying
Verb
  • And these lively, sometimes irritating, often messy, but always essential noises are the product of our species connecting and caring for one another.
    — Dana Suskind, Time, 14 July 2026
  • They will also be allowed to shoot pepper balls, which release a cloud of irritating spray into the air around the animals.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of irritating
Adjective
  • The film follows a man trapped inside a bar, where reality begins to unravel in increasingly disturbing ways.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2026
  • At a time when politics is so absurd and disturbing, maybe political comedy is less funny.
    — Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • The couple made sure the design included a basement where the kids could spend time, better insulation to handle South Dakota’s harsh weather and plenty of storage — all features their previous home lacked.
    — Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
  • Those are some of the harsh conditions that detainees in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody described experiencing in recent weeks at the Federal Detention Center, a Bureau of Prisons facility located in a concrete tower in downtown Miami.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026
Definition of harsh
Verb
  • In a clearing in the forest, his younger selves sit at a long table with the abbott, who is wearing the final boss of season three’s awful wigs.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 20 July 2026
  • Javier Bardem, wearing a Spain replica shirt with Borja Iglesias’ name and No 26 on the back, was shown celebrating in the stands.
    — Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of wearing

Browse Nearby Words

gallimaufry
galling
gallivant
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Cite this Entry

“Galling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/galling. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on galling

Nglish: Translation of galling for Spanish Speakers

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