Grum

//ɡɹʌm// adj

adj ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Morose, stern, surly, sullen.

    "Look not so grum at me; there is something to make thee more cheerful. (Offering him money with one hand, while he receives the bag with the other.)"

  2. 2
    Low, deep in the throat; guttural

    "a grum voice"

Example

More examples

"Look not so grum at me; there is something to make thee more cheerful. (Offering him money with one hand, while he receives the bag with the other.)"

Etymology

From Middle English grom, from Old English grom, gram (“angry, wrathful”), from Proto-Germanic *gramaz (“angry, bearing a grudge”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrem- (“to thunder, rub, tear, scratch”). Probably influenced in form by glum. Compare also Danish grum (“cruel, atrocious, fell”), Swedish grym (“cruel, furious, terrible”). See also grim, gram, grump.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.