grim

adjective

ˈgrim 

grimmer; grimmest

1

a

: stern or forbidding in action or appearance

a grim taskmaster

When we saw his grim expression we knew he had bad news.

b

: somber, gloomy

grim news of the disaster

a grim winter

2

: ghastly, repellent, or sinister in character

a grim tale

made a grim discovery in the woods

3

: unflinching, unyielding

grim determination

4

: fierce in disposition or action : savage

grim wolves

grimly adverb

grimness noun

Synonyms of grim

• gruff
• stern
• fierce
• bleak
• intimidating
• rugged
• hostile
• stark
• severe
• forbidding

Examples of grim in a Sentence

Hikers made a grim discovery when they came across a dead body in the woods.

The accident serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of drinking and driving.

The prognosis is grim—doctors do not expect her to live longer than six months.

He paints a grim picture of the prospects for peace.

His face looked grim, and we knew his news wouldn't be good.

Recent Examples on the Web

For those feeling grim about Milwaukee’s local music scene post-The Garage’s closure and no-play list fallout, look no further for artist solidarity than the library. — Caden Perry, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2026

When the manager, teammates and trainers check on a pitcher, there often can be grim faces, but not so Thursday at Kauffman Stadium. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026

For listeners familiar enough with safety systems to fully appreciate the danger, miscommunication, unpreparedness or negligence in these stories, the tales provide riveting entertainment, in their own grim way. — Brian Laidlaw, Longreads, 1 Sep. 2026

The increasing chances of being taken, whether one is in a church, mosque, school, on a trip to the capital Abuja or resting at home, is a grim reality that should not be the case given Tinubu’s firm campaign pledges. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "fierce, savage, terrifying, repellent, violent, severe," going back to Old English grimm "fierce, savage, harsh, severe," going back to Germanic *grimma-, from earlier *gremma- (whence also Old Frisian grim, grem "fierce, severe, frightening," Old Saxon grimm "fierce, hostile, severe," Old High German grim, grimmi, Old Norse grimmr), adjective derivative from the base of *grimman- "to rage" (whence Old English & Old Saxon grimman "to rage," Old High German grimmen), probably going back to *ghrem-ne-, nasal present from an Indo-European verbal base *ghrem- "roar, rage," whence Avestan graməṇt- "raging," Greek chremetízein "to neigh, whinny," chrémisan "(they) neighed"; with zero-grade ablaut Old Church Slavic vŭzgrĭmě "thundered, roared," Lithuanian grumiù, grumė́ti "to roar, thunder"; with o-grade ablaut Germanic *gram- (whence Old English, Old Saxon & Old High German gram "angry, hostile, fierce," Old Norse gramr "anger," Old English gremman, gremian "to anger, enrage," Old High German gremmen, Old Norse gremja, Gothic gramjan), Old Church Slavic gromŭ "thunder," Greek chrómos, chrómē (Hesychius) "kind of noise, snorting, neighing," chrómados "grinding of jaws" (cf. chromis)

Note: The base *ghrem- is most likely of onomatopoeic origin, with different semantic developments in the Indo-European branch languages.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing grim

• grim reaper

Rhymes for grim

• brim
• clim
• dim
• gym
• him
• hymn
• im
• limb
• mim
• prim
• rim
• scrim

Kids Definition

grim

adjective

ˈgrim 

grimmer; grimmest

1

: cruel sense 2, fierce

2

a

: stern in action or appearance

b

: dismal sense 1

grim news

c

: depressed

3

: frightful sense 1

a grim tale

4

: unflinching, unyielding

grim determination

grimly adverb

grimness noun