gray

1 of 4

adjective

variants or less commonly grey
1
a
: of the color gray
b
: tending toward gray
blue-gray eyes
c
: dull in color
2
: having the hair gray : hoary
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 governmentP. J. O'Rourke
5
: having an intermediate and often vaguely defined position, condition, or character
an ethically gray area
grayly adverb
grayness noun

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 capitalized : 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

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
The skies are gray, the ground is icy, and bundling up with cold-weather gear can dampen your seasonal style. Olivia Cigliano, WWD, 28 Oct. 2024 The picture is a cozy, smiley selfie featuring the trio, and appears to have been snapped in cooler weather, as the Bowling is sporting a dark gray jacket and purple sweater, while the twins, 34, appear to be wearing a dark, v-neck sweater. Bailey Richards, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
Noun
Of her nearly half a million followers on social media, Welch says Gen Z likes her pink door the most, with younger audiences shifting toward bright colors after the takeover of Millennial gray. Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2024 Her nails, designed by her go-to nail artist Miho Okawara, were a long almond shape painted with an iridescent pale gray with an opalescent finish that shifted from pale pink to pale blue with the light. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 21 Oct. 2024
Verb
If today’s age-specific labor and spending patterns continue, graying and depopulating countries will lack the savings to invest for growth or even to replace old infrastructure and equipment. Nicholas Eberstadt, Foreign Affairs, 10 Oct. 2024 Hooch, Turner and Hooch The most crucial element in any buddy cop movie is the dynamic of the central pairing, which lays a foundation of difference and tension: a graying racist and a sternly principled minority, a grizzled lifer and a naïve rookie, a by-the-book rule-follower and a loose cannon. Charles Bramesco, Vulture, 5 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gray 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gray.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of gray was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near gray

Cite this Entry

“Gray.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

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
: any of a series of neutral colors ranging between black and white
gray adjective
or chiefly British grey

gray

2 of 2 noun
: 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)

Asa 1810–1888 American botanist

Gray

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Thomas 1716–1771 English poet

More from Merriam-Webster on gray

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