Grim — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective /ˈgrim/

Meaning & Definition of Grim

Grim (adjective)

  1. stern or forbidding in action or appearance
  2. somber, gloomy
  3. ghastly, repellent, or sinister in character

Grim (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: austere, dour, fierce, flinty, forbidding, gruff, intimidating, lowering, rough, rugged, severe, stark, steely, stern, ungentle
    related: bleak, cold, hostile, inhospitable, inimical, unfriendly, unsympathetic, adamant, bound, determined, firm, intent, purposeful, resolute, resolved, steadfast, unflinching, fixed, hard, hardened, hardheaded, immovable, implacable, inflexible, ironhanded, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, rigid, self-willed, set, stiff, stubborn, unbending, uncompromising, unrelenting, unyielding, willful, immutable, unchangeable, black, cheerless, dark, gloomy, glum, joyless, melancholic, moody, morose, sulky, sullen, surly, brooding, grave, humorless, melancholy, serious, sober, sobersided, solemn, somber, staid, unsmiling, weighty
    opposite: benign, benignant, gentle, mild, nonintimidating, tender
    near: bland, meek, mellow, soft, soothing, easy, quiet, tranquil, agreeable, bright, cheerful, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, sweet, glad, happy, lighthearted, merry, mirthful, sunny, featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, giddy, goofy, harebrained, light-headed, playful, scatterbrained, silly

  2. difficult to endure

    "this winter is supposed to be particularly grim, so stock up on firewood"

    similar: bitter, brutal, burdensome, cruel, excruciating, grievous, hard, hardhanded, harsh, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, rough, rugged, searing, severe, stiff, tough, trying
    related: austere, bleak, comfortless, discomforting, forbidding, inhospitable, spartan, uncomfortable, biting, inclement, intemperate, wild, rigorous, strict, stringent, agonizing, heartbreaking, heartrending, painful, wretched, crushing, grinding, overwhelming, wearing, insufferable, insupportable, intolerable, unbearable, unendurable, harrowing, tortuous, bad, disagreeable, hostile, unfriendly, unpleasant
    opposite: easy, light, soft
    near: comfortable, cozy, luxurious, snug, agreeable, friendly, genial, hospitable, pleasant, peaceful, relaxing, reposeful, restful, bearable, endurable, painless, tolerable, balmy, calm, clement, gentle, mild, moderate, temperate

  3. 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"

    similar: determined, dogged, implacable, relentless, unappeasable, unflinching, unrelenting, unyielding
    related: persevering, persistent, tenacious, hard, hardheaded, headstrong, intractable, mulish, obdurate, opinionated, peevish, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, self-willed, stubborn, uncooperative, willful, merciless, ruthless, unforgiving
    near: slackening, softening, yielding, impotent, invertebrate, slack, spineless, weak, complaisant, obliging, pliable, pliant

  4. violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition

    "grim warriors heading into battle"

    similar: fell, ferocious, fierce, savage, vicious
    related: argumentative, assaultive, bellicose, belligerent, brawly, chippy, combative, confrontational, discordant, disputatious, feisty, gladiatorial, militant, pugnacious, scrappy, warlike, bare-knuckle, blood-and-guts, in-your-face, take-no-prisoners, contentious, quarrelsome, truculent, menacing, threatening, bestial, brute, inhuman, inhumane, barbaric, uncivilized, wild, heartless, implacable, merciless, pitiless, relentless, ruthless, unrelenting, wanton, bloodthirsty, bloody, homicidal, murdering, murderous, sanguinary, sanguine, rapacious, ravenous, voracious
    opposite: gentle, mild, unaggressive
    near: amicable, companionable, comradely, congenial, cordial, friendly, genial, hearty, warm, warmhearted, compliant, submissive, tame, benign, compassionate, kind, merciful, pacific, peaceable, peaceful, amiable, complaisant, obliging, human, humane, civilized, cultured

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Grim

The most common words with a similar meaning to Grim:

austere, dour, fierce, flinty, forbidding, gruff, intimidating, lowering, rough, rugged, severe, stark, steely, stern, ungentle, bitter, brutal, burdensome, cruel, excruciating, grievous, hard, hardhanded, harsh, heavy, inhuman, murderous, onerous, oppressive, searing, stiff, tough, trying, determined, dogged, implacable, relentless, unappeasable, unflinching, unrelenting

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Grim

Words with the opposite meaning of Grim:

benign, benignant, gentle, mild, nonintimidating, tender, easy, light, soft, unaggressive

Related Words for Grim

bleak, cold, hostile, inhospitable, inimical, unfriendly, unsympathetic, adamant, bound, firm, intent, purposeful, resolute, resolved, steadfast, fixed, hardened, hardheaded, immovable, inflexible, ironhanded, mulish, obdurate, obstinate, rigid, self-willed, set, stubborn, unbending, uncompromising

Near Antonyms of Grim

bland, meek, mellow, soothing, quiet, tranquil, agreeable, bright, cheerful, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, sweet, glad, happy, lighthearted, merry, mirthful, sunny, featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, giddy, goofy, harebrained, light-headed, playful, scatterbrained, silly, comfortable

Word Forms of Grim

Inflections: grimmer, grimmest

Derived words: grimly (adverb), grimness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Grim

Middle English, "fierce, savage, terrifying, repellent, violent, severe," going back to Old English grimm "fierce, savage, harsh, severe," going back to Germanic *grimma-, from earlier *gremma- (whence also Old Frisian grim, grem "fierce, severe, frightening," Old Saxon grimm "fierce, hostile, severe," Old High German grim, grimmi, Old Norse grimmr), adjective derivative from the base of *grimman- "to rage" (whence Old English & Old Saxon grimman "to rage," Old High German grimmen), probably going back to *ghrem-ne-, nasal present from an Indo-European verbal base *ghrem- "roar, rage," whence Avestan graməṇt- "raging," Greek chremetízein "to neigh, whinny," chrémisan "(they) neighed"; with zero-grade ablaut Old Church Slavic vŭzgrĭmě "thundered, roared," Lithuanian grumiù, grumė́ti "to roar, thunder"; with o-grade ablaut Germanic *gram- (whence Old English, Old Saxon & Old High German gram "angry, hostile, fierce," Old Norse gramr "anger," Old English gremman, gremian "to anger, enrage," Old High German gremmen, Old Norse gremja, Gothic gramjan), Old Church Slavic gromŭ "thunder," Greek chrómos, chrómē (Hesychius) "kind of noise, snorting, neighing," chrómados "grinding of jaws" (cf. chromis)

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Grim

grim reaper, the Grim Reaper

Frequently Asked Questions about Grim

What does "Grim" mean?

"Grim" means stern or forbidding in action or appearance. As an adjective, it is defined as: stern or forbidding in action or appearance. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Grim"?

Other words for "Grim" include austere, dour, fierce, flinty, forbidding, gruff, intimidating and lowering. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Grim" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Grim"?

There are 188 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Grim". Common alternatives include austere, dour, fierce, flinty, forbidding, gruff, intimidating, lowering, rough and rugged.

What is the opposite of "Grim"?

Antonyms of "Grim" include benign, benignant, gentle, mild, nonintimidating, tender, easy and light. Near antonyms include bland, meek, mellow and soothing.

How do you use "Grim" in a sentence?

Examples of "Grim" in a sentence: "a grim and desolate landscape"; "a grim and short-tempered shopkeeper who didn't exactly invite friendly conversation"; "this winter is supposed to be particularly grim, so stock up on firewood".

Is "Grim" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Grim" is an adjective.

How do you pronounce "Grim"?

"Grim" is pronounced /ˈgrim/.

What is the origin of the word "Grim"?

"Grim" comes from Middle English, "fierce, savage, terrifying, repellent, violent, severe," going back to Old English grimm "fierce, savage, harsh, severe," going back to Germanic *grimma-, from earlier *gremma- (whence also Old Frisian grim, grem "fierce, severe, frightening," Old Saxon grimm "fierce, hostile, severe," Old High German grim, grimmi, Old Norse grimmr), adjective derivative from the base of *grimman- "to rage" (whence Old English & Old Saxon grimman "to rage," Old High German grimmen), probably going back to *ghrem-ne-, nasal present from an Indo-European verbal base *ghrem- "roar, rage," whence Avestan graməṇt- "raging," Greek chremetízein "to neigh, whinny," chrémisan "(they) neighed"; with zero-grade ablaut Old Church Slavic vŭzgrĭmě "thundered, roared," Lithuanian grumiù, grumė́ti "to roar, thunder"; with o-grade ablaut Germanic *gram- (whence Old English, Old Saxon & Old High German gram "angry, hostile, fierce," Old Norse gramr "anger," Old English gremman, gremian "to anger, enrage," Old High German gremmen, Old Norse gremja, Gothic gramjan), Old Church Slavic gromŭ "thunder," Greek chrómos, chrómē (Hesychius) "kind of noise, snorting, neighing," chrómados "grinding of jaws" (cf. chromis). First known use: before 12th century.