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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Economic headlines have been grim recently.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, & Sons, for all its grim family in-fighting and accusations, is a film about legacy, identity, loss and love.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
The set-up could easily slip into grim melodrama, but Jackman infuses it with a pop-tastic fun.
—Leila Latif, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
With their glory days long gone, Gary Emerson and Horace Mann high schools represent blighted eyesores that conjure up nostalgia and grim realities.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grim
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, & Sons, for all its grim family in-fighting and accusations, is a film about legacy, identity, loss and love.
—Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
The set-up could easily slip into grim melodrama, but Jackman infuses it with a pop-tastic fun.
—Leila Latif, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
With their glory days long gone, Gary Emerson and Horace Mann high schools represent blighted eyesores that conjure up nostalgia and grim realities.
—Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grim
Adjective
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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
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The barbs were frequently aimed at the gruff owner of Mel’s Diner played by the late Vic Tayback.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Oysters inspired the researchers because of their remarkable ability to attach to rocks, bridge pilings, or even each other in the harsh underwater environment.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
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But the rules of the Long Walk are harsh and the stakes could not be higher.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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In this state, space expands at a relentless, exponential pace, doubling in size in all three dimensions in just a tiny fraction of a second, and then doubling again and again and again with each subsequent fraction of a second that elapses.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
16 Sep. 2025
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Wedding Dashers features a maid of honor and best man forced to hurdle relentless transportation nightmares together to make it from London to Belfast in time for their dearests’ nuptials.—
Jamie Harrow,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This thrilling prequel stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa and Alyla Browne as young Furiosa, who is abducted by the savage warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) — leader of the Biker Horde — and spends the next decade in captivity plotting her revenge and escape.—
Charlotte Walsh,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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There was a time when loving someone of the wrong gender could result in harassment, arrest or a savage beating.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In fact, Baltimore has received a stern warning on closing out big games from former All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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Shatter and Falconi had formed Flipper in the late 1970s Bay Area at the dawn of hardcore, the tougher and sterner punk variant that had a stronghold in California.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The backcourt duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, also known as the StudBudz, are shifty, tough shot-making guards who can get hot in a hurry.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
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And that’s tough on those guys.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Saúl is a fixture at his father's bouts and already seems determined to follow in his father’s footsteps.—
Nasha Smith,
PEOPLE,
13 Sep. 2025
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Her flippers, each more than two feet long, scooped out sand and flung it to her sides in slow, determined strokes.—
M. Rajshekhar,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Just like that, Denver’s ferocious defensive front had turned a go-ahead scoring opportunity for the Titans into a punt.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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The conflict in Europe was mirrored by a ferocious debate between scientists and Spiritualists, each side fueled by the pain of their own private losses.—
Alice Vernon
September 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grim. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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