Meaning & use
striking
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Meanings
adjectivecomparableapproving
So unusual, strong, or attractive that it immediately catches the eye or the mind.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a striking contrast, the resemblance is striking.
Patterns
- strikingly different
- a striking resemblance to someone
She has a striking resemblance to her grandmother.
The red door is a striking contrast to the grey wall.
He was a tall man with striking blue eyes.
adjectivebefore a noun
Refusing to work as a protest against an employer, usually to demand better pay or conditions.
Grammar: Comes directly before a noun: striking workers.
Patterns
- striking workers
- striking teachers
The striking nurses marched outside the hospital.
Striking dockworkers blocked the main gate.
The company refused to meet the striking staff.
Word forms
| comparative | more striking |
|---|---|
| superlative | most striking |
Common combinations
- striking similarity
- There is a striking similarity between the two paintings.
- striking contrast
- The calm lake made a striking contrast to the busy road.
- striking appearance
- Her striking appearance made her stand out in the crowd.
- striking feature
- The tower's most striking feature is its curved roof.
- striking workers
- Striking workers gathered outside the factory.
Synonyms and how they differ
- remarkable
- Remarkable means worth noticing for being unusual, while striking is more about visual or emotional impact.
- conspicuous
- Conspicuous means easy to see, often in an awkward way, while striking is usually admiring.
- eye-catching
- Eye-catching is more informal and applies only to what you see, while striking can describe ideas or facts too.
- stunning
- Stunning is stronger and means extremely beautiful or impressive, while striking just means very noticeable.
Opposites
Word family
- strike verb
- to hit; to stop work as a protest
- strikingly adverb
- in a way that is very noticeable
- striker noun
- a worker on strike; a forward in football
- strike noun
- a refusal to work as a protest
Commonly confused: striking or stricken?
striking vs stricken
Stricken means badly affected by illness, grief, or disaster, as in grief-stricken, and is not used for something that looks impressive.
Practice
Visitors always comment on the ____ similarity between the twins, who look almost identical.
Choose one answer.
Striking is the adjective that goes before the noun similarity. Strike and struck are verb forms and struck is not used before a noun this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “striking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.