When you tell someone that he is 'going against the grain', you mean that he is doing the exact opposite of what he normally does. He is not doing what is expected of him.

What is an example of going against the grain?

Example Sentences

It is against the grain for me to tackle dishonest people. It goes against the grain to accept that she is going to change her bad behavior with others. Sometimes we must take steps that go against the grain. Carol is always loyal, and it went against the grain for her to become disloyal.

What do you call someone who goes against the grain?

[nonconformist, renegade, maverick, rebel, radical, individualist, heretic, dissenter, dissident, iconoclast, loner], etc., etc.