grim
Americanadjective
-
stern and admitting of no appeasement or compromise.
grim determination; grim necessity.
- Synonyms:
- unyielding, harsh
- Antonyms:
- lenient
-
of a sinister or ghastly character.
a grim joke.
- Antonyms:
- attractive
-
having a harsh, surly, forbidding, or morbid air.
a grim man but a just one; a grim countenance.
- Antonyms:
- gentle
-
fierce, savage, or cruel.
War is a grim business.
-
unpleasant or repellant.
Scrubbing toilets is a grim task that no one likes doing.
adjective
-
stern; resolute
grim determination
-
harsh or formidable in manner or appearance
-
harshly ironic or sinister
grim laughter
-
cruel, severe, or ghastly
a grim accident
-
archaic fierce
a grim warrior
-
informal unpleasant; disagreeable
-
to hold very firmly or resolutely
Other Word Forms
- grimly adverb
- grimness noun
Etymology
Origin of grim
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German grimm, Old Norse grimmr
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s not all grim — home buyers finally have some leverage again in the real-estate market.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
But - without minimising the impact on those whose jobs are at risk - the situation today is still nowhere near as grim as it appeared to be last summer.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Times investigation uncovered the grim conditions faced by farmworkers despite the UFW, which had dramatically declined in size, and how the union had turned to political fundraising that did not benefit those working the fields.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
It has been a grim few weeks for software stocks.
From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026
When Elizebeth saw William wearing “a certain grim look that came around his mouth,” she would know that something had gone wrong.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.