Shining very brightly and harshly, or staring with an angry, hostile look; obviously wrong or conspicuous.
From Middle English 'glaren,' possibly from Old Norse 'glarr' (bright, gleaming). The sense of 'staring' evolved alongside the 'shining brightly' meaning, both suggesting intense visual attention.
Glaring is one of those rare words where the literal meaning (bright light) and figurative meaning (obvious mistake) work together perfectly—both involve intense visibility that's hard to ignore. 'A glaring error' shines out at you like harsh light.
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