From the doctor's grim expression, it was clear he had somber news for the patient.
Source: tatoeba (1989)
Grim
//ɡɹɪm//
Synonyms for "grim" (658 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (132)
disconsolateforbiddinggruesomeunappeasableadamantadamantineaffording no hopealarminganguishedanxiousapatheticappallingastoundingastringentatrociousaustereauthoritarianawe inspiringawe-inspiringawesome
Show 45 more words
awfulbanefulbarbarousbarfybeastlybeetle browedbeetle-browedblackblack-browedbleakbloodthirstybloodyboredbrutalbrutishbumcast-ironcertaincheerlesscheesycoldcomfortlesscondigncrappycreepycruelcrummydarkdead setdecideddecorousdejecteddemandingdemuredepresseddespairingdesperatedespondentdetermineddifficultdiredirefuldirtydiscontenteddisgusted
Adjective(38 words)
Strong matches (197)
Adjective(53 words)
dismaldoggeddourdown in mouthdreaddreadeddreadfuldreardrearisomedrearydumpishearnesteerieevilevil lookingevil-favoredevil-lookingexactingexigentfearful
Show 74 more words
fellferalferociousfiendishfiercefirmfixedflagitiousflintyforebodingforlornformalformidablefrighteningfrightfulfrowningfunebrialfunerealgauntghastlyghoulishgloomygloweringglumgodawfulgoshawfulgravegraygreygrim-facedgrim-visagedgrislygrotesquegrumhairyhardhard corehard-corehard-favoredhard-featuredhard-visagedharrowingharshheadstrongheartlessheinoushideoushomicidalhopelesshorrendoushorriblehorridhorrifichorrifyinghumorlessickyill-favoredill-featuredill-lookingimmovableimmutableimplacableimpliablein bad humorin despairinclementinelasticinevitableinexorableinfestiveinflexibleinhumaninhumaneiniquitous
Adjective(16 words)
Noun(33 words)
Proper Noun(1 words)
Related words (329)
Adjective(103 words)
insensitiveinvincibleiron-heartedirresistiblejokelessjoylessknavishlack-laughterlithicloathsomelugubriousmaleficmaleficentmalevolentmaliciousmalignmalignantmelancholymirthlessmiserable
Show 83 more words
muntednastynauseousnefariousnidderingnideringnidingnithingno jokeno-goodobnoxiousoffensiveoffputtingoverpoweringoverwhelmingpeccaminousperniciouspersistentplaintivepotentpuissantragingrancidrankrelentlessreprehensiblereprobaterepulsiveresistantrevoltingrigidrigorousrobustrockheartedsatanicsaturninesavagescabrousscaryscathfulseveresickeningsinfulsinistersolemnsolidsolitarysombersombresordidspiritlessspookysternstiffstoneheartedstonyheartedstoutstrictstridentsturdysunlessunbendinguncheerfuluncheeryungodlyunhappyunholyunmerryunmovedunpleasantunrelentingunremittingunsettlingunstoppableunsympatheticunyieldingviciousvillainousviolentwickedwintrywoefulwrong
intractableintransigentironirreconcilablejoylessloathsomelong facedlong-facedloweringluridmacabremelancholymercilessmeticulousmirthlessmiserablemonstrousmoodishmoodymopey
Show 133 more words
mopingmopishmorbidmorosemortalmumpishmurderousmurkynauseatednauseousobdurateobstinateoffensiveominousout of humorout of sortspitilesspleasurelessprey to malaisepunkputridredoubtablerelentlessrepelledrepugnantrepulsiveresoluterevoltedrevoltingrigidrigorousrock-ribbedrottenroughruggedruthlesssadsanguinarysarcasticsaturninesavageschrecklichscowlingsedateserioussetsevereshittyshockingsickenedsinistersobersober-mindedsobersidedsolemnsombersombroussorrysorryishspartanspartanicstaidstarksteadfaststeelysternstiffstinkingstinkystone facedstone-facedstonystraight facedstraight-facedstrictstringentstubbornsuffering angstsulkysullensurlyterribleterrificterrifyingthoughtfultoughtragictremendoustristetruculentunaffectedunalterableunbendingunchangeableuncheerfuluncheeryuncompromisinguneasyunflinchingunforgivingunfulfilledungentleungivingungovernedungratifiedunhappyunhopefulunjoyfulunmirthfulunmovedunmovingunprepossessingunquietunrelentingunsatisfiedunsmilingunsparingunspeakableunwaveringunyieldingviciousvindictiveviolentvomitywearifulwearisomewearyweightywickedwithout hopewolfishwretchedyecchy
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
Synonyms
5 entriesRelated terms
6 entriesderived
14 entrieshas context
2 entriesrelated to
16 entriessimilar
9 entriesTranslations
86 translations across 28 languages.
Bulgarian
4 entries- зловещ adj (ghastly or sinister)
- мрачен adj (ghastly or sinister)
- непреклонен adj (rigid and unrelenting)
- неприветлив adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Catalan
4 entries- espectral adj (ghastly or sinister)
- obac adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- ombrívol adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- rígid adj (rigid and unrelenting)
Czech
3 entries- chmurný adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- depresivní adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- krušný adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Danish
1 entries- dyster adj (ghastly or sinister)
Dutch
1 entries- grimmig adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Esperanto
1 entries- neŝancelebla adj (rigid and unrelenting)
Finnish
4 entries- ankara adj (rigid and unrelenting)
- kolkko adj (ghastly or sinister)
- synkeä adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- synkeä adj (ghastly or sinister)
French
4 entries- déprimant adj (ghastly or sinister)
- indéfectible adj (rigid and unrelenting)
- inébranlable adj (rigid and unrelenting)
- rigide adj (rigid and unrelenting)
Georgian
1 entries- სასტიკი adj (ghastly or sinister)
German
4 entries- düster adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- eisern adj (rigid and unrelenting)
- finster adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- grimmig adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Hebrew
2 entries- נורא adj (ghastly or sinister)
- עגום adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Hungarian
1 entries- zord adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Irish
1 entries- dorrga adj (rigid and unrelenting)
Italian
4 entries- arcigno adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- fosco adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- sinistro adj (ghastly or sinister)
- tenace adj (rigid and unrelenting)
Latin
1 entries- torvus adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Māori
1 entries- mōkinokino adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Norman
1 entries- sévéthe adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Old English
3 entries- grimm adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- grimm adj (rigid and unrelenting)
- grimm adj (ghastly or sinister)
Old High German
2 entries- grim adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- grimmi adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Old Norse
1 entries- grimr adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Old Saxon
1 entries- grim adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Polish
3 entries- nieubłagany adj (rigid and unrelenting)
- ponury adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- srogi adj (rigid and unrelenting)
Portuguese
4 entries- austero adj (rigid and unrelenting)
- rígido adj (rigid and unrelenting)
- sinistro adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- sinistro adj (ghastly or sinister)
Russian
4 entries- злове́щий adj (ghastly or sinister)
- мра́чный adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- мра́чный adj (ghastly or sinister)
- непрекло́нный adj (rigid and unrelenting)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- gruamach adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Slovak
2 entries- neprívetivý adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- pošmúrny adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Spanish
4 entries- lóbrego adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- lúgubre adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- rígido adj (rigid and unrelenting)
- siniestro adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
Swedish
4 entries- grådaskig adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- kuslig adj (ghastly or sinister)
- kylig adj (dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding)
- stenhård adj (rigid and unrelenting)
Sample sentences
21 total sentences available.
Marcia looked grim when I told her the story.
Source: tatoeba (32993)
That evening tea was partaken of in a grim silence.
Source: tatoeba (43522)
It's a grim world.
Source: tatoeba (239487)
Showing 4 of 21 available sentences.
Keep exploring
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.