grim

adjective

ˈgrim 

grimmer; grimmest

1

: fierce in disposition or action : savage

grim wolves

2

a

: stern or forbidding in action or appearance

a grim taskmaster

b

: somber, gloomy

grim news of the disaster

3

: ghastly, repellent, or sinister in character

a grim tale

4

: unflinching, unyielding

grim determination

grimly adverb

grimness noun

Synonyms

• austere
• dour
• fierce
• flinty
• forbidding
• gruff
• intimidating
• lowering
• louring
• rough
• rugged
• severe
• stark
• steely
• stern
• ungentle

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

As more than 300,000 army reservists were called up for duty and Israel launched a punishing campaign in Gaza, a grim, wartime mentality took hold. —Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024

Outcomes for Black mothers and babies are indeed grim. —Eleanore Catolico, Detroit Free Press, 19 Apr. 2024

The rainstorms this week offered more grim reminders of those costs. —Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024

Much of the news is grim: wars are increasing in scale and intensity. —David Lammy, Foreign Affairs, 17 Apr. 2024

But the death of Officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed last month by an armed person during a traffic stop in Queens, became a grim reminder of what can happen to any of them in an instant. —Tom Llamas, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024

Civil War is both a more ambitious picture and an act of grim entertainment. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 12 Apr. 2024

Such demonization of the press, with its grim echo (or harbinger?) of Trumpist rule, is about as close as the movie gets to advancing a remotely political point of view. —Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024

More than 500 District residents died of opioid overdoses last year, recent data shows, setting another grim record in the city’s struggle to combat the growing crisis. —Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024

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 1

Phrases Containing grim

• grim reaper

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