Definition

1. Noun:
   • A breakfast and snack food consisting of loose, dry ingredients, primarily rolled oats, which are often baked until crisp. It typically includes other ingredients such as nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and is sweetened with honey, brown sugar, or other syrups.

Usage

• Granola is an uncountable noun. You refer to it as a substance, not individual pieces.
  • Correct: I bought some granola. / This granola is delicious.
  • Less Common: I ate a bowl of granola.
• It is commonly eaten with milk or yogurt for breakfast, or as a snack by itself.

Examples

• For a healthy start, she topped her yogurt with granola and fresh berries.
• This brand of granola contains almonds, cashews, and dried cranberries.
• He prefers his granola with a little less honey so it isn't too sweet.

Advanced Usage

• "Granola" as an adjective (informal): Used to describe a person, lifestyle, or product associated with health-consciousness, environmentalism, or an outdoorsy, hippie-inspired aesthetic.
  • She has a very granola lifestyle—she hikes, practices yoga, and eats only organic food.
  • That store sells granola clothing like hemp shirts and sandals.

Variants and Related Words

• Granola bar (n.): A snack bar made by pressing granola together into a rectangular shape, often held together with a sweet binder like honey or syrup.
  • He packed an apple and a granola bar for his afternoon snack.

Synonyms

• Cereal: A more general term for a breakfast food made from processed grains, which includes granola.
• Muesli: A similar European-style breakfast mix of rolled oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, but it is typically not baked or sweetened, and is often soaked in milk or juice before eating.

Antonyms

• There is no direct antonym, but contrasting breakfast foods could include sugary cereal (highly processed, artificially sweetened) or a cooked breakfast (like eggs and bacon).

Noun

1. cereal made of especially rolled oats with dried fruits and nuts and honey or brown sugar