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
The grim milestone was recorded between January 2023 and April 2025, with the agency documenting that bleaching-level heat stress has impacted 83.7% of the world's coral reef area.
—
Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2025
Despite these grim statistics, there's reason for optimism—in great part driven by advancements in technologies seeking to tackle loneliness.
—Roberto Kern, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
New Jersey Federal Judge Robert Kirsch granted Manna compassionate release on April 16 under the First Step Act, stating that his grim health prognosis and his efforts at rehabilitation behind bars tipped the scales in his favor.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
In April, 2004, Phish played a series of exceptionally grim shows in Las Vegas.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grim
Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 23 Apr. 2025
Despite these grim statistics, there's reason for optimism—in great part driven by advancements in technologies seeking to tackle loneliness.
—Roberto Kern, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
New Jersey Federal Judge Robert Kirsch granted Manna compassionate release on April 16 under the First Step Act, stating that his grim health prognosis and his efforts at rehabilitation behind bars tipped the scales in his favor.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
In April, 2004, Phish played a series of exceptionally grim shows in Las Vegas.
—Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grim
Adjective
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The actor behind the gruff but lovable Roy Kent shared a purrfectly eccentric analogy about the show's return on a recent episode of NPR's Wild Card podcast.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Bowling paints with the rhythm of a gruff intellectual.—
James Russell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Hope reigns even in this harsh political climate we Americans are now experiencing.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2025
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Even if investors are slightly more confident this week, after Trump backed off most of his harshest tariff rates, the changes in people’s life-style habits serve as their own kind of affective barometer.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Google’s index ballooned as its crawlers struggled to process this relentless deluge of pages.—
Ivan Guzenko,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Still, Starks is a natural leader with a relentless motor who isn't afraid to make contact.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
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As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
Adjective
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The Raid 2, for instance, a two and a half hour crime and punishment epic, boils down to one man’s struggle to win the approval of his stern father; whether this is significant to Evans’ life or not, the motif nonetheless transitions cleanly into Havoc.—
Andy Crump,
Time,
26 Apr. 2025
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The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has issued a stern warning about a predatory fish that can grow up to 3 feet long, slither across land and breathe air.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Published in English, Tehelka had a small circulation but an outsized reputation for tough investigations.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2025
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Jimmie Woods-Gray, a member of the city’s fire commission, said that cutting the Equity Bureau is a necessary step in a tough budget year.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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But Trump remains defiant about the tariffs, much like Putin remains determined to continue Russia’s assault on Ukraine.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2025
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Despite a sentence that will likely mean spending the rest of her life in prison, Melody remains determined to prove her innocence.—
Susan Mallie,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In other words, if Instagram had even somewhat appeared as a future threat to Facebook or Facebook’s competition, there would have been a ferocious bidding war for Instagram that would have pushed its purchase price far, far above $1 billion.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
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There’s scenario No. 1: Either Carter, a ferocious All-American pass rusher, or Hunter, a generational wide receiver-cornerback hybrid, is available, and the Patriots can add a premium talent at a position of need in what can only be described as a front-office dream.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
16 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grim. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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