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

This grim reality is particularly unwelcome right now, as the White House seems intent to impose a peace deal on Ukraine that Trump hopes will end the largest land war in Europe since World War II. —Luke McGee, Time, 10 Dec. 2025

But, so far, surveys are finding people have a grim view. —Domenico Montanaro, NPR, 6 Dec. 2025

Reichardt’s film, pointedly set against the Vietnam War protests of 1970, delivers its own off-center ode to political solidarity; in the margins of her story, Reichardt quietly reveals the grim consequences of standing for no one and nothing besides one’s own interests. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025

Director Emma Tammi, returning from the first film, keeps things appropriately grim, but there isn’t much here in the way of atmosphere. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025

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