ɡoʊ əˈɡɛnst ðə ɡreɪn
General
neutral
intermediate
- Literally:
- To cut wood against its natural fiber direction
What does "go against the grain" mean?
- To do something contrary to one's nature or inclination
- To act against prevailing customs or opinions
Examples
- It goes against the grain for me to ask for help.
- Her decision to quit law school went against the grain of family expectations.
- Sometimes you have to go against the grain to succeed.
Origin
From woodworking—cutting against the grain of wood is more difficult and produces rough results. Metaphor for going against natural tendencies.
How to use it
Often implies doing something difficult or uncomfortable. Can be positive (courageous) or negative (stubborn).
Similar expressions
go against the tide
swim against the current
defy convention
Opposites
go with the flow
conform
follow the crowd
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "go against the grain" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.