Gradgrind
noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who relies solely on scientific measurements and observable facts without taking human nature into consideration.
"They do just what all the practical men of this practical age are doing, what even the Gradgrinds are doing: they embody ideas; they put thoughts into facts."
Example
More examples"They do just what all the practical men of this practical age are doing, what even the Gradgrinds are doing: they embody ideas; they put thoughts into facts."
Etymology
From Thomas Gradgrind, a pedantic teacher in Charles Dickens' Hard Times (1854).
Related phrases
More for "gradgrind"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.