grim

[ grim ]

adjective

, grim·mer, grim·mest.

1. stern and admitting of no appeasement or compromise:

   grim determination; grim necessity.

   Synonyms: unyielding, harsh

   Antonyms: lenient

2. of a sinister or ghastly character:

   a grim joke.

   Synonyms: dreadful, hideous, gruesome, grisly, horrid, appalling, dire, horrible, frightful

   Antonyms: attractive

3. having a harsh, surly, forbidding, or morbid air:

   a grim man but a just one; a grim countenance.

   Synonyms: hard, stern, severe

   Antonyms: gentle

4. fierce, savage, or cruel:

   War is a grim business.

   Synonyms: ruthless, ferocious

5. unpleasant or repellant:

   Scrubbing toilets is a grim task that no one likes doing.

grim

/ ɡrɪm /

adjective

1. stern; resolute

   grim determination

2. harsh or formidable in manner or appearance
3. harshly ironic or sinister

   grim laughter

4. cruel, severe, or ghastly

   a grim accident

5. archaic.
   fierce

   a grim warrior

6. informal.
   unpleasant; disagreeable
7. hold on like grim death
   to hold very firmly or resolutely

Derived Forms

• ˈgrimly, adverb
• ˈgrimness, noun

Other Words From

• grim·ly adverb
• grim·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of grim¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German grimm, Old Norse grimmr

Word History and Origins

Origin of grim¹

Old English grimm; related to Old Norse grimmr, Old High German grimm savage, Greek khremizein to neigh

Example Sentences

Lennox, a Belfast native who previously worked on the Troubles-themed coming of age comedy “Derry Girls,” played an essential role in setting its tone which, though grim, is also inflected with dark humor.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps these fires burn in part because the Northeast does not yet have a grim and hard-won culture of fire safety.

From Slate

Even though it was yet another grim year in the war in Vietnam, people lined the street and waved as we marched by.

From Salon

The Springboks drew first blood and, given it was so early, it was a grim beginning for Scotland.

From BBC

With Wales facing a rejuvenated Australia next Sunday before the arrival of world champions South Africa, Gatland's side face the grim prospect of not winning an international match in a calendar year for the first time since 1937.

From BBC

Related Words

• dogged
• ferocious
• fierce
• merciless
• relentless
• resolute
• ruthless
• unrelenting