Granite
name, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A group of igneous and plutonic rocks composed primarily of feldspar and quartz. Usually contains one or more dark minerals, which may be mica, pyroxene, or amphibole. Granite is quarried for building stone, road gravel, decorative stone, and tombstones. Common colors are gray, white, pink, and yellow-brown. countable, uncountable
"Many monuments sold in the US are crafted from granite produced in China, India and elsewhere overseas, while a lot of stone-working equipment comes from Europe."
- 2 something having the quality of granite (unyielding firmness) wordnet
- 3 Toughness; the quality of having a thick skin or being rough. figuratively, uncountable
"‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […]? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?"
- 4 plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz wordnet
- 1 An island of South Australia.
- 2 A town in Colorado.
- 3 A town in Oklahoma.
- 4 A census-designated place in Utah.
- 5 An unincorporated community in Laramie County, Wyoming, United States.
Example
More examples"Even small drops striking constantly will bore through a granite mountain."
Etymology
From French granit (“granite”), from Italian granito (“granite”), from granire (“to granulate”), from grano (“grain”), from Latin grānum (“grain”). Compare granita.
Related phrases
More for "granite"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.