grainier; grainiest
Synonyms of grainynext
1
: resembling or having some characteristic of grain : not smooth or fine
2
of a photograph : appearing to be composed of grain-like particles
graininess noun

Examples of grainy in a Sentence

The mustard has a grainy texture. grainy sand kept it off the rankings as one of the nation's best beaches
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Some vignettes had the grainy shading of excessive toner powder, while others were bleached out. Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026 Investigators have released grainy surveillance footage from the day Guthrie disappeared of a man wearing a ski mask and gloves. Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026 For instance, some surveillance cameras can transmit digital representations of faces along with the video stream, so even if the images are grainy, computer systems can still identify the people in them. Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026 Shooting in the lowest light leads to grainier results, but that's par for the course. Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grainy

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of grainy was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Grainy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grainy. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

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