glaring 1 of 2

Definition of glaringnext

glaring

2 of 2

verb

present participle of glare

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective glaring differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of glaring are flagrant, gross, and rank. While all these words mean "conspicuously bad or objectionable," glaring implies painful or damaging obtrusiveness of something that is conspicuously wrong, faulty, or improper.

glaring errors

When would flagrant be a good substitute for glaring?

The words flagrant and glaring are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, flagrant applies usually to offenses or errors so bad that they can neither escape notice nor be condoned.

flagrant abuse of the office of president

In what contexts can gross take the place of glaring?

Although the words gross and glaring have much in common, gross implies the exceeding of reasonable or excusable limits.

gross carelessness

When can rank be used instead of glaring?

The synonyms rank and glaring are sometimes interchangeable, but rank applies to what is openly and extremely objectionable and utterly condemned.

rank heresy

How does the adjective glaring differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of glaring are flagrant, gross, and rank. While all these words mean "conspicuously bad or objectionable," glaring implies painful or damaging obtrusiveness of something that is conspicuously wrong, faulty, or improper.

glaring errors

When would flagrant be a good substitute for glaring?

The words flagrant and glaring are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, flagrant applies usually to offenses or errors so bad that they can neither escape notice nor be condoned.

flagrant abuse of the office of president

In what contexts can gross take the place of glaring?

Although the words gross and glaring have much in common, gross implies the exceeding of reasonable or excusable limits.

gross carelessness

When can rank be used instead of glaring?

The synonyms rank and glaring are sometimes interchangeable, but rank applies to what is openly and extremely objectionable and utterly condemned.

rank heresy

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 glaring
Adjective
There’s a glaring hole in TCU’s secondary with the departure of free safety Bud Clark to the NFL. Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Apr. 2026 California is perhaps the most glaring example. Paige Gilliard, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
Eventually, people could not resist returning to their lives, to routines more comfortable than standing in the streets with the sun glaring in your eyes, squinting up to check the position of snipers on a roof, or working with cramping fingers sewing your tenth mask of the night. Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026 Beyond a glaring betrayal of the medium the Drafthouse once sought to exalt, the QR policy single-handedly reduces the theater from a sacred space to just another room, which is an illusion that even AMC nominally pledges to maintain. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for glaring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for glaring
Adjective
  • Of course, Butcher does a lot of blatant manipulating here, using Ryan’s insecurity about his deadly powers to convince him the world is better without supes altogether.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 15 Apr. 2026
  • These complaints demonstrate a clear and consistent pattern of obfuscation and blatant disregard of campaign finance laws.
    John Gates, Denver Post, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • José Bastón and Eva Longoria are glowing in their sequins and smiles at LACMA's Opening Gala for The David Geffen Galleries in Los Angeles on April 16.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
  • After mounting the Bioluminator to their amphibious aircraft, Cora and Jasper follow the glowing bioluminescent trail from the Wildwood Tree to the Secret Lake in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
    Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • My sister was scowling and pacing the path outside my mother’s flat.
    Douglas Stuart, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2026
  • He was picked up first on meth charges on May 14, 1986, according to news reports and a San Francisco police booking photo, which shows him in a blue hoodie scowling into the camera.
    Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
  • Don’t force a quick fix, but don’t ignore what’s obvious.
    Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Likewise the only evidence that Trump might not be crazy is his obvious determination to seem so.
    Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Weeks later, another house in the exact same spot was burning — again in the name of science.
    ABC News, ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
  • This avoids burning the cups and creates the perfect steamy environment for poaching.
    BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • That's a lot of late nights and early mornings staring at the sky.
    Paul Sutter, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026
  • What Jaafar does amounts to an elaborate impression instead of an interpretation, re-creating the voice and the famous choreography and otherwise staring blankly into the middle distance when called upon to transmit emotions.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Both had bought into the Soviet Union’s vision of Pripyat as a gleaming new city that would accompany the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
    Lizzie Johnson, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
  • The service As polished as the gleaming white-and-grey marble everywhere, and more down-to-earth than the lavish décor might suggest.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Woods, 50, is seen frowning in the photo, taken shortly after the legendary golfer was booked into jail on March 27 after his Land Rover rolled over in Jupiter Island, Florida.
    Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Hubbard posted an image of herself with a disgusted look on her face from earlier in Season 10, while Dillard shared a photo of himself frowning, also from a scene in the show.
    Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 31 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Glaring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glaring. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

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