gray

1 of 4

adjective

ˈgrā 

variants or less commonly grey

1

a

: of the color gray

b

: tending toward gray

blue-gray eyes

c

: dull in color

2

: having gray hair

grew old and gray

3

: clothed in gray

4

a

: lacking cheer or brightness in mood, outlook, style, or flavor

also : dismal, gloomy

a gray day

b

: prosaically ordinary : dull, uninteresting

… the … boring, gray dullness of government …

—P. J. O'Rourke

5

: having an intermediate and often vaguely defined position, condition, or character

an ethically gray area

grayly adverb

grayness noun

Usage of Gray and Grey

Gray and grey are both accepted spellings. Gray is more frequent in US English, while grey is preferred in Canada, the UK, and elsewhere.

gray

2 of 4

noun (1)

variants or less commonly grey

1

: any of a series of neutral colors ranging between black and white

2

: something (such as an animal, garment, cloth, or spot) of a gray color

3

a

: a soldier in the Confederate army during the American Civil War

b

often Gray : the Confederate army

gray

3 of 4

verb

variants or less commonly grey

grayed also greyed; graying also greying; grays also greys

intransitive verb

1

: to become gray

2

: age

also : to contain an increasing percentage of older people

The town's population has grayed over the last two decades.

transitive verb

: to make gray

gray

4 of 4

noun (2)

: the mks unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation equal to an energy of one joule per kilogram of irradiated material

—abbreviation Gy

Synonyms of gray

Adjective

• silver
• white
• grayish
• slate
• faded
• silvery

Examples of gray in a Sentence

Adjective

What will you do when you are old and gray?

My friends have all gone gray.

It was a gray winter day.

the gray faces of the people in the crowd

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But the legendary key party scene only scrapes the surface, and the film's blue-gray moodiness is downright enveloping, not to mention its brutally honest depiction of family ties. —Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Nov. 2025

The company’s popular men’s Beer Can Island shorts are now available in eye-catching blue and gray Dot Camo and Geo Camo patterns. —Steve Waters, Miami Herald, 23 Nov. 2025

Noun

Arey The System, $100 With a daily ingestible and serum, Arey’s The System supports overall hair health, while boosting and preserving hair pigment to slow down grays. —Emily Burns, Footwear News, 19 Nov. 2025

Pick it up in six wearable colors, including brown, bone, and heather gray. —Destinee Scott, Travel + Leisure, 15 Nov. 2025

Verb

Other than the graying facial scruff and biting sense of humor, Johnson, 51, does not exactly fit the mold of a rock star. —David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 21 Nov. 2025

In Darwinian language, what evolutionary advantage, if any, does graying of hair impart on the competitive success of the human species? —Paul Cappiello, Louisville Courier Journal, 14 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Noun (1), and Verb

Middle English, from Old English grǣg; akin to Old High German grīs, grāo gray

Noun (2)

Louis H. Gray †1965 British radiobiologist

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun (2)

1975, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing gray

• African gray
• gray area
• gray birch
• gray eminence
• gray fox
• gray literature
• gray market
• gray matter
• gray out
• gray rabbitbrush
• gray rat snake
• gray scale
• gray squirrel
• gray water
• gray whale
• gray wolf
• iron gray
• pearl gray
• slate gray

Rhymes for gray

• ay
• bay
• bey
• brae
• cay
• chez
• dey
• dray
• fay
• fey
• flay
• fray

Kids Definition

gray

1 of 2 adjective

variants also grey

ˈgrā

1

: of the color gray

also : dull in color

2

: having gray hair

3

: lacking cheer or brightness : dismal

a gray day

grayness noun

gray

2 of 2 noun

variants also grey

1

: one of the series of neutral colors ranging between black and white

2

: something gray

gray verb

grayish

ˈgrā-ish

adjective

Medical Definition

gray

1 of 2 noun

variants or chiefly British grey

ˈgrā 

: any of a series of neutral colors ranging between black and white

gray adjective

or chiefly British grey

gray

2 of 2 noun

ˈgrā 

: the mks unit of absorbed dose of ionizing radiation equal to an energy of one joule per kilogram of irradiated material

—abbreviation Gy

Biographical Definition

Gray 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈgrā 

Asa 1810–1888 American botanist

Gray

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Thomas 1716–1771 English poet