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
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 One glaring example is the current hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin. — Matthew Villafane, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
If the issues being talked about weren’t so serious, declaring that machines are now smarter than humans, given this glaring gap between AI agents and their principals, would be a fun keynote for the next AI summit. — Bhaskar Chakravorti, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026 The glaring takeaway from this week's AP Poll is just how well represented the SEC is. — Mark Harris Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for glaring
Recent Examples of Synonyms for glaring
Adjective
  • The move appeared as a blatant response to stadium owner Robert Kraft’s role in having rapper Macklemore removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour after the rapper made pro-Palestinian comments onstage at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
    — Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026
  • That said, even in a sport now infamous for quick cash grabs, this feels like the most blatant of them all.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • In a world increasingly filled with glowing screens, e-ink’s cleverest trick may simply be knowing when not to glow.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
  • By watching the entire auroral oval at once, SMILE can help scientists connect what is happening with the magnetosphere with the auroras glowing below.
    — Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 2 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
  • The tents with a bathroom in them, a seemingly obvious upgrade from those without (there’s a communal washroom), have toilets that aren’t completely enclosed.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Put the paths of 1991, 2009 and 2027 on a globe, and the approximately 120-degree westward jump between successive members becomes immediately obvious.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • This way, truckers help pay for road improvements, and farmers--a big and influential electoral constituency--can work all day burning red fuel on their farms.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Many have taken to the streets in towns and neighborhoods to protest the worsening situation, with roadblocks, tire-burning and residents holding up signs criticizing the government for not providing adequate solutions.
    — Catherine Ellis, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Instead of everybody facing one direction staring at the DJ, Savage wants the environment to be about the ambiance, the music, and the people in the space, not just who’s playing.
    — Candace Hansen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The black-and-white illustration showed a mother kneeling on the frothing waves’ surface, staring into the face of her naked infant as the Virgin Mary towered above them both, attended by angels circling her head.
    — Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Food and drink The Chandelier Bar has quickly become one of the most memorable watering holes in New Orleans, with its showstopper eponymous chandelier a gleaming cascade of some 15,000 crystals.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The structure’s 27 gleaming marble petals rise in clusters of three to form nine sides, creating a perfectly symmetrical bloom that appears to float above a series of nine reflecting pools.
    — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 6 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Glaring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/glaring. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster