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
On his 100th day in office, the situation looked grim.
—
Cate Martel, The Hill, 16 May 2025
But the grim daily toll of Israel’s assault on Gaza makes normalization a tough sell.
—Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2025
And in the end, a grim start caught up with the Nuggets.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 11 May 2025
Their personalities, along with the cruel allure of the cityscape itself, lend the grim story a glimmer of transcendence.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for grim
Cate Martel, The Hill, 16 May 2025
But the grim daily toll of Israel’s assault on Gaza makes normalization a tough sell.
—Marc Lynch, Foreign Affairs, 12 May 2025
And in the end, a grim start caught up with the Nuggets.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 11 May 2025
Their personalities, along with the cruel allure of the cityscape itself, lend the grim story a glimmer of transcendence.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for grim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grim
Adjective
-
Peter Capaldi - Twelfth Doctor From 2014-2017, a gruff and action-ready Peter Capaldi shredded an electric guitar through the TARDIS.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
29 May 2025
-
Over a four-decade career that began with a role on Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Lyonne has become known for portraying characters that are gruff but likable, hard-nosed but sympathetic.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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Though Nicole reserves her harshest jabs for Jorgeous, the real heat is between Tina and Mistress.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
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Padilla had harsh comments for the president and the GOP in a statement Thursday after the House vote.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2025
Adjective
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From IoT sensors and smart devices to social media streams and transactional logs, the information influx is relentless.—
Shinoy Vengaramkode Bhaskaran,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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Zsa-zsa is a survivor and a fighter and an indefatigable entrepreneur; his relentless energy is matched by nothing else other then Alexandre Desplat’s thrilling ticking time bomb of a score.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 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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And Hannah Waddingham gives a good, stern space-lady as the voice of the Galactic Grand Councilwoman.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
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In Kurosawa’s version, the chauffeur was an exceedingly meek man who got down on the floor to beg his stern shoe-manufacturer boss, played by the great Toshiro Mifune, to save his son.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Being a careless jackass but also irresistibly charming is a tough needle to thread.—
Staff Author Published,
EW.com,
22 May 2025
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That’s really tough to stop from turning into scoring opportunities for the opponent.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The conservative view Many conservatives are determined to repeal or at least delay and dilute most of the clean energy breaks.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
20 May 2025
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As the clinic races to rebuild, Abdallah is determined to continue providing care.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
20 May 2025
Adjective
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She and her fellow hybrids are sent to investigate the site, leading to the encounter of mysterious life forms — including one ferocious Xenomorph.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
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Both general elections are expected to be competitive, but only the New Jersey Democratic primary has featured ferocious competition out of the four party primaries.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grim. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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