1
as in gruff
harsh and threatening in manner or appearance
a grim and desolate landscape a grim and short-tempered shopkeeper who didn't exactly invite friendly conversation
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2
as in harsh
difficult to endure
this winter is supposed to be particularly grim, so stock up on firewood
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3
as in relentless
showing no signs of slackening or yielding in one's purpose
with grim determination, the woman worked three jobs to put her fatherless children through college
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4
as in savage
violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition
grim warriors heading into battle
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of grim
In the essay, published in 1729, Swift began by realistically detailing the grim condition of Ireland’s poor.
—
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 30 Sep. 2025
The herculean effort to translate its gargantuan script didn’t pay off and as a result, the outlook of XSeed localizing Trails in the Sky Second Chapter (SC) and Third Chapter (TC) remained grim for years.
—George Yang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
The City of Portland’s official account also weighed in, posting that while national media painted a grim picture, daily life was carrying on as usual.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
As for the acting, there’s little doubt that Winter is the most natural (and more experienced) stage actor of the two, more versatile and, when necessary, capable to drawing real pathos from this grim, gorgeous work of art.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grim
Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 30 Sep. 2025
The herculean effort to translate its gargantuan script didn’t pay off and as a result, the outlook of XSeed localizing Trails in the Sky Second Chapter (SC) and Third Chapter (TC) remained grim for years.
—George Yang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
The City of Portland’s official account also weighed in, posting that while national media painted a grim picture, daily life was carrying on as usual.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
As for the acting, there’s little doubt that Winter is the most natural (and more experienced) stage actor of the two, more versatile and, when necessary, capable to drawing real pathos from this grim, gorgeous work of art.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grim
Adjective
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This pays off to some extent because Day-Lewis is such a mesmerizing presence, Ray’s gruff manner and terse communications hinting at dark mysteries to be revealed.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Sep. 2025
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Panday plays a convincingly gruff tortured artist alongside Padda’s struggling ingenue, and most of the screen time is devoted to their pairing instead of introducing tertiary excess.—
Proma Khosla,
IndieWire,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The triumphant narrative began to fray when exceedingly harsh lockdown measures could no longer contain the spread of the virus, and the staggering human cost in the name of protecting lives defied all logic.—
Yangyang Cheng,
NPR,
4 Oct. 2025
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There are no easy fixes, so figuring out how to cushion the harsh impact will be the basis of negotiations with other parties in the Japanese legislature, the Diet.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Parrilla’s character is described as the ruthless proprietor of a shadowy electronic brothel whose obsession sets her on a relentless pursuit.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
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But against relentless pressure from both the Green Bay Packers and Lions, Flacco, on multiple occasions, kept things from getting worse by avoiding sacks and other disastrous plays.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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McBride sets the political context for Swift’s savage indignation by noting that 1727–1729 saw three successive harvest failures in Ireland.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Sep. 2025
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The singer went viral at Monday night’s show for her seemingly savage reaction to Tori Kelly and Muni Long’s tribute performance.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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TelevisaUnivsion issued a stern statement of displeasure at the situation.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Oct. 2025
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In a series of rulings on motions brought by Combs after his conviction, Judge Subramanian has been stern.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Lammens was perhaps fortunate to escape sanction then (Stuart Atwell booked the forward for diving), but this was a valuable occasion ahead of tougher tests, beginning at Anfield.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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There will be some tough picking in there, but typically the predicting business gets a little easier in region play.—
Tyler Palmateer,
Nashville Tennessean,
4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Carman is determined to keep expanding her work and wants every first responder to have access to a therapy dog.—
Kathleen Toner,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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The vehicle will primarily drive pre-determined routes, act as a visual crime deterrent and display key messages to the community from its windows.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In a competition bear-ly more ferocious, 12 chunky brown bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve have been battling it out in one of the most cutthroat places on the planet – the internet.—
Lilit Marcus,
CNN Money,
1 Oct. 2025
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The numbers may not leap off the page, but one of Sunday’s most exciting clashes was the 60-minute chess match between the Detroit Lions’ run game and the Cleveland Browns’ ferocious defensive front.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grim. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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