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

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
Despite internal dissent within the intelligence community and a glaring lack of hard evidence, the media did little to challenge these claims. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026 Last season, MacPhee’s predecessor Bernardo Cueva managed to help Chelsea earn a respectable return from attacking set pieces, but dead-ball situations at the other end of the pitch remained a glaring weakness. — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
The hypocrisy is so glaring you can’t even turn your head toward it. — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 7 Oct. 2026 But the data gap was particularly glaring for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, potentially missing 75% of the population, according to a recent paper co-authored by CDC statisticians. — O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for glaring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for glaring
Adjective
  • This blatant robbery is the pending bill to ban the 68 Central Park horse carriages.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The definition further added that neglect should involve blatant disregard of parental responsibilities resulting in a real, significant and imminent risk of harm to the child.
    — Jennifer L. Brinkley, The Conversation, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • For the best views look 40-90 degrees away from the radiant, where the glowing trains left in the wake of the fast-moving meteors will be at their longest.
    — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • But the phone’s first public testers have given glowing feedback.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • That is one of the tantalizing questions bubbling up in A Talent for Murder, in which Helen Mirren embodies Highsmith in all her devious, scowling genius.
    — Caryn James, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Whether his teams were good or bad, his outspoken and occasionally scowling personality almost always commanded the room.
    — Carl Steward, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • These reveal problems that might not be obvious in the short term, such as liver damage, as well as underlying conditions that could turn minor issues into something serious.
    — Amy Maxmen, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • If there are lessons from the 2025 wave of crypto IPOs, the most obvious is that investors should proceed with caution.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • What’s less known is that indoor activity — cooking, keeping pets, burning candles and spraying perfumes — generates pollutants and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Jennings adds.
    — Tracy Achonwa, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • In 2006, the Charger stormed the market as a rubber-burning full-size sedan that gained muscle over the years, culminating in a 797-horsepower variant.
    — Matt Degen, AJC.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The Royals were out of the AL Central race by August and staring at another losing season.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Screens compound the problem because people blink less while staring at them.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • There’s a gleaming hospital and a string of new downtown spots to supplement The Bar, the beloved dive that was supposedly among the inspirations for the Patch Café in the TV series Landman, which is set here.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In others, the walls are paneled in a gleaming hardwood, which sets off the furniture, upholstered in black and dark-gray velvets.
    — Kim Velsey, Curbed, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Looking on was Trooper Major, body camera footage shows, frowning in the sun as the deputies followed guidance from a portable defibrillator device.
    — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
  • This focuses readers on the all-black uniforms of the veiled pupils, who—in a long frame at the center of the page—sit between the looming, frowning teacher on the right and Marji on the left, who stands up to explain that her uncle was executed by the Islamic regime.
    — Hillary Chute, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Glaring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glaring. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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