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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

grim

/ɡɹɪm/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:03
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What does grim mean?

adjective

  1. Dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding.
  2. Rigid and unrelenting.
  3. Ghastly or sinister.
More meanings (7)

adjective

  1. Disgusting; gross.
  2. (obsolete) Fierce, cruel, furious.

proper noun

  1. An English surname

verb

  1. (rare) To make grim; to give a stern or forbidding aspect to.

noun

  1. (dated, slang) A promiscuous woman.
  2. (obsolete) Anger, wrath.
  3. (obsolete) A specter, ghost, haunting spirit.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/ɡɹɪm/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

We conversed in low tones, when we conversed at all, as the awe of the grim shadow of death crept over us.
Edgar Rice BurroughsA princess of MarsProject Gutenberg ebook #62
I thought I should have seen some Hercules, A second Hector, for his grim aspect, And large proportion of his strong-knit limbs.
William ShakespeareThe Complete Works of William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg ebook #100
More book examples (3)
More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return.
Franklin D. (Franklin Delano) RooseveltInaugural Address of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Given in Washington, D.C. March 4th, 1933Project Gutenberg ebook #104
The impulse of reaction from the rather grim cheerlessness of their wedding lent fresh gayety to their lighthearted, whimsical start at housekeeping.
Harold FredericThe Damnation of Theron WareProject Gutenberg ebook #133
“I have,” said Legree, with a grim, terrible calmness, “done—just—that—thing, Tom, unless you’ll tell me what you know about these yer gals!”
Harriet Beecher StoweUncle Tom's CabinProject Gutenberg ebook #203