Meaning & use
grainy picture
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
An image, such as a photograph or drawing, that appears speckled or noisy, with a rough, dotted texture.
Grammar: Countable: 'a grainy picture', 'grainy pictures'.
Patterns
- a grainy picture of someone/something
- look grainy
The old TV showed a grainy picture with lots of static.
He sent me a grainy picture of the receipt, so I couldn't read the total.
The artist used a grainy picture to create a textured effect.
Word forms
| plural | grainy pictures |
|---|
Common combinations
- a grainy picture
- The webcam produced a grainy picture during the video call.
- look grainy
- The picture looks grainy because the resolution is low.
- grainy and dark
- The grainy and dark picture made it hard to see the details.
- slightly grainy
- The picture is slightly grainy, but you can still recognize the faces.
Synonyms and how they differ
- noisy
- More technical, used for digital images with random speckles; 'grainy' can also refer to film grain.
- pixelated
- Describes an image where individual pixels are visible, often from low resolution; 'grainy' is more about texture.
- blurry
- Means out of focus or smeared, not speckled; a picture can be both grainy and blurry.
Opposites
Word family
- grain noun
- The small speckles or texture that make a picture look grainy.
- graininess noun
- The quality of being grainy.
Commonly confused: grainy picture or blurry? grainy picture or grainy photo?
grainy picture vs blurry
Blurry means not sharp or out of focus; grainy means having visible speckles or noise. A picture can be both.
grainy picture vs grainy photo
Very similar; 'photo' is a still image, while 'picture' can also mean a drawing or painting.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'grainy picture' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A grainy picture has visible noise or speckles, often from an old camera or low light. The other options describe clear or smooth images, which contradict the meaning of 'grainy'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “grainy picture”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.