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
Despite this grim outlook, Dalio’s message is not one of despair but of individual preparation.
—
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
That's because Silent Hill f is one of the boldest, darkest, goriest, grimmest, and flat out best games in the entire series; a tremendous achievement that just over a year ago seemed unfathomable.
—Vincent Acovino, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
Modern life, in his grim estimation, is entirely controlled by capitalism and technology, forces relentlessly destructive to the human soul.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
That’s a grim history lesson for those that enter Sunday still winless — particularly the two most surprising 0-2 teams thus far, Kansas City and Houston.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 21 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grim
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2025
That's because Silent Hill f is one of the boldest, darkest, goriest, grimmest, and flat out best games in the entire series; a tremendous achievement that just over a year ago seemed unfathomable.
—Vincent Acovino, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
Modern life, in his grim estimation, is entirely controlled by capitalism and technology, forces relentlessly destructive to the human soul.
—Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
That’s a grim history lesson for those that enter Sunday still winless — particularly the two most surprising 0-2 teams thus far, Kansas City and Houston.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 21 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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These findings highlight an urgent need to shield stem cells from the harsh realities of space.—
Pranjal Malewar,
New Atlas,
20 Sep. 2025
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Rain is coming, penciled in for an hour or two from now, and a harsh British wind is flinging leaves off branches and cloaking the countryside with something that smells dungy and damp.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Calling the trip a relentless test of planning and execution feels like an understatement.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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His heroism is just relentless pursuit and going forward.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, 2023, and took more than 250 hostages in a savage attack.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN Money,
25 Sep. 2025
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Hamas are a bunch of savage animals.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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That led Judge Cannon to temporarily halt the proceedings and issue Routh a stern warning.—
Greg Allen,
NPR,
23 Sep. 2025
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High-profile stars and politicians of all creeds have been up in arms and ABC owner Disney has come in for particularly stern criticism over the very live situation.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Red Rocketeers were looking to bounce back after a tough loss against King Phillip, but the opponent was strong.—
Zachary McMahon,
Boston Herald,
20 Sep. 2025
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Lee described the rookies as tough competitors who displayed a championship mentality during their run to the summer league championship.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Their injuries were later determined to not be life threatening, according to court documents.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
20 Sep. 2025
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In the movie, White is determined to take Cade to that point, and break him.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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But now Minnesota has another veteran QB in Carson Wentz to pair with its ferocious defense.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
26 Sep. 2025
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There have been fewer, but more ferocious hurricanes.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grim. Accessed 27 Sep. 2025.
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