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
Suddenly, their star was hobbling, their momentum sapped, their outlook grim.
—
Zak Keefer, New York Times, 20 June 2025
The sergeant on the other end of the line was grim, her voice thick with the weight of a crisis unfolding.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Making significant leaps from the earlier installments, the new film grows from a grim survival nightmare to a grand epic.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 18 June 2025
Call of Cthulhu can be a dark, grim game and there was plenty of horror to be had in each show.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for grim
Zak Keefer, New York Times, 20 June 2025
The sergeant on the other end of the line was grim, her voice thick with the weight of a crisis unfolding.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 18 June 2025
Making significant leaps from the earlier installments, the new film grows from a grim survival nightmare to a grand epic.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 18 June 2025
Call of Cthulhu can be a dark, grim game and there was plenty of horror to be had in each show.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for grim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grim
Adjective
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With a deep, gruff voice and animus toward humanity, McCarthy was an unusual dance-music star when Nitzer Ebb started notching chart hits.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2025
-
Two months ago, the world lost a gruff and burly guitar player named Al Barile.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
11 June 2025
Adjective
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Come spring, the Ranger III carries everything from outhouses and diesel fuel for the generators to construction supplies to repair whatever damage Mother Nature did to facilities over the harsh winter.—
Diana Lambdin Meyer,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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The United States and Europe must finally sever all economic ties with Russia (e.g., nuclear partnerships) and impose harsher sanctions on Russia and secondary sanctions so that China and others face consequences for their support of the war.—
Laura Thornton,
Twin Cities,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Christina has become the latest target of this troubling phenomenon — subjected to relentless personal attacks and sexist scrutiny that ignore the legal process entirely.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
4 July 2025
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Golden State has relentless rebounders and hard-nosed defenders at every position.—
Devin Robertson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 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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However, strikes between the two nations appeared to continue—leading to a stern rebuke from the president on Tuesday morning.—
Jason Lemon,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
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Born in Philadelphia in October 1888, Breen shuttled between jobs in public relations, newspaper journalism, and the U.S. consular service, yet the connecting thread was always his deep, proud, stern Irish Catholicism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
Adjective
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Even these young players already have major tournament experience — a huge strength given their tough group.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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Stark disparities in job opportunities available overall compared to the 25 major contractors may indicate these companies are starting to make tough decisions following DOGE cuts, according to Cory Stahle, the report’s author and economist at the Hiring Lab.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
Adjective
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Ter Stegen is determined to stay at Barca, where he is settled on a personal level and ready to challenge for the No 1 spot.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
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Set in the working-class outskirts of L.A., Lolita follows Jesús (Alexis Vazquez), an openly gay man recently released from prison after serving a nine-year sentence for a nonviolent drug offense, who is determined to reclaim his life and reunite with his daughter.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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The Manchester City striker is one of the global game’s most ferocious and intelligent goalscorers.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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Now, she’s added another competitive event to her list of favorites: F1, or Formula 1, largely considered the world's most ferocious and high-tech form of auto racing.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grim. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
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