grim

See also: Grim and -grim-

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ɡɹɪm/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪm

Etymology 1

From Middle English grim, from Old English grimm, from Proto-West Germanic *grimm, from Proto-Germanic *grimmaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrem- (“to resound, thunder, grumble, roar”).

Adjective

grim (comparative grimmer, superlative grimmest)

1. Dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding.

   Synonyms: bleak, harsh; see also Thesaurus:cheerless, Thesaurus:stern

   Life was grim in many northern industrial towns.

   • 2017 May, Loren Balhorn, “The Lost History of Antifa”, in Jacobin Magazine‎^[1]:

     Developments were markedly different in the Soviet zone, but ultimately ended in perhaps an even grimmer dead end: that of SED leader Walter Ulbricht’s thoroughly Stalinized German Democratic Republic (GDR).

   • 2019 August 30, Jonathan Watts, “Amazon fires show world heading for point of no return, says UN”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[2], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2 December 2019:

     Cristiana Paşca Palmer, the executive secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, said the destruction of the world’s biggest rainforest was a grim reminder that a fresh approach needed to stabilise the climate and prevent ecosystems from declining to a point of no return, with dire consequences for humanity.

   • 2022 January 12, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Unhappy start to 2022”, in RAIL, number 948, page 3:

     It's been a grim start to the year.

2. Rigid and unrelenting.

   Synonyms: overwhelming, unbending; see also Thesaurus:hard, Thesaurus:relentless

   His grim determination enabled him to win.

3. Ghastly or sinister.

   Synonyms: forboding, malevolent; see also Thesaurus:evil, Thesaurus:eerie

   A grim castle overshadowed the village.

   • 1933 August (date written), H[oward] P[hillips] Lovecraft, “The Thing on the Doorstep”, in Farnsworth Wright, editor, Weird Tales: A Magazine of the Bizarre and Unusual, volume 29, number 1, Indianapolis, Ind.: Popular Fiction Pub. Co., published January 1937, →OCLC, section 4, page 62:

     There was, I thought, a trace of very profound and very genuine irony in the timbre—not the flashy, meaninglessly jaunty pseudo-irony of the callow "sophisticate," which Derby had habitually affected, but something grim, basic, pervasive and potentially evil.

   • 2012 March 22, Scott Tobias, “The Hunger Games”, in The A.V. Club‎^[3]:

     In movie terms, it suggests Paul Verhoeven in Robocop/Starship Troopers mode, an R-rated bloodbath where the grim spectacle of children murdering each other on television is bread-and-circuses for the age of reality TV, enforced by a totalitarian regime to keep the masses at bay.

4. Disgusting; gross.

   Synonyms: foul, loathsome; see also Thesaurus:unpleasant

   – Wanna see the dead rat I found in my fridge?
   – Mate, that is grim!

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter I, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 1:

     Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; […]

5. (obsolete) Fierce, cruel, furious.

   Synonyms: ferocious, raging, savage, violent; see also Thesaurus:angry, Thesaurus:ferocious, Thesaurus:savage

   • 1535 October 14 (Gregorian calendar), Myles Coverdale, transl., Biblia: The Byble, […] (Coverdale Bible), [Cologne or Marburg]: [Eucharius Cervicornus and Johannes Soter?], →OCLC, Zachary [Zechariah] ij:[11], folio xcvij, recto:

     The LORDE shall be grymme vpon them, and destroye all the goddes in the londe. And all the Iles of the Heithen shal worshipe him, euery man in his place.

   • 1907 [1624], John Smith, chapter 5, in The General Historie of Virginia, New England and The Summer Isles‎^[4], volume 1, New York: Macmillan Company:

     The first people we saw were two grim and stout Salvages upon Cape Charles, with long poles like Javelings, headed with bone, they boldly demanded what we were, and what we would […]

   • 1897 [1637], John Milton, edited by Homer B[axter] Sprague, Milton's Lycidas, Boston: Ginn & Company, pages 22–23, lines 128–129:

     Besides what the grim wolf with privy paw / Daily devours apace, and nothing said.

Derived terms

• grimdark
• grim-gram
• grimlike
• grimly
• grimmish
• grimness
• Grim Reaper
• grimsome
• grim-the-collier
• grim trigger
• it's grim up north
• like grim death

Translations

dismal and gloomy, cold and forbidding

• Bulgarian: строг (bg) (strog), суров (bg) (surov), неприветлив (bg) (neprivetliv)
• Catalan: sinistre (ca), ombrívol (ca), obac (ca)
• Czech: chmurný, krušný (cs), depresivní
• Dutch: grimmig (nl)
• Finnish: synkeä (fi), synkkä (fi)
• French: sinistre (fr), sombre (fr)
• German: grimmig (de), düster (de), finster (de)

  Old High German: grim, grimmi

• Hebrew: עגום (he) (agúm)
• Hungarian: zord (hu)
• Italian: arcigno (it), fosco (it)
• Latin: torvus
• Māori: mōkinokino
• Norman: sévéthe m or f
• Old English: grimm
• Old Norse: grimr
• Old Saxon: grim
• Polish: ponury (pl)
• Portuguese: sinistro (pt)
• Russian: мра́чный (ru) (mráčnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: gruamach
• Slovak: pošmúrny m, neprívetivý m
• Spanish: siniestro (es), sombrío (es), lóbrego (es), lúgubre (es)
• Swedish: grådaskig (sv), kylig (sv)

rigid and unrelenting

• Bulgarian: неумолим (bg) (neumolim), непреклонен (bg) (nepreklonen)
• Catalan: rígid (ca)
• Esperanto: neŝancelebla
• Finnish: ankara (fi)
• French: inébranlable (fr), indéfectible (fr), rigide (fr), sombre (fr)
• German: unbeugsam (de), unnachgiebig (de), eisern (de)
• Irish: dorrga
• Italian: tenace (it)
• Old English: grimm
• Polish: nieubłagany (pl), srogi (pl)
• Portuguese: rígido (pt), austero (pt)
• Russian: непрекло́нный (ru) (nepreklónnyj)
• Spanish: rígido (es)
• Swedish: stenhård (sv)

ghastly or sinister

• Bulgarian: мрачен (bg) (mračen), зловещ (bg) (zlovešt)
• Catalan: sinistre (ca), espectral
• Danish: dyster
• Finnish: synkeä (fi), synkkä (fi), kolkko (fi)
• French: sinistre (fr), sombre (fr), déprimant (fr), triste (fr)
• Georgian: სასტიკი (ka) (sasṭiḳi)
• German: gruselig (de)
• Hebrew: נורא (he) (norá)
• Italian: tetro (it) m, sinistro (it) m
• Old English: grimm
• Portuguese: sinistro (pt) m
• Russian: мра́чный (ru) (mráčnyj), злове́щий (ru) (zlovéščij)
• Spanish: siniestro (es)
• Swedish: kuslig (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Māori: ^{(please verify)} muha
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} barsk (sv)

Verb

grim (third-person singular simple present grims, present participle grimming, simple past and past participle grimmed)

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

Noun

grim (plural grims)

1. (MLE, slang, probably a fashionable word around 2006, now dated) A promiscuous woman.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:promiscuous woman

   • 2006 July 1, “Grim” (track 8), in Wiley (lyrics), Eskiboy: Da 2nd Phaze‎^[5]:

     You got a new girl and she looks choong (Choong)
     But you didn't know your girl was a grim
     […]
     Your girl she's a grim, I wouldn't have no grim as my ting

Etymology 2

From Middle English grim, grym, greme, from Old English *grimu, *grimmu, grima, from Proto-Germanic *grimmį̄ (“anger, wrath”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrem- (“to resound, thunder, grumble, roar”). Cognate with Middle Dutch grimme, Middle High German grimme f (“anger”), modern German Grimm m.

Noun

grim (countable and uncountable, plural grims)

1. (obsolete) Anger, wrath.
2. (obsolete) A specter, ghost, haunting spirit.

Derived terms

• grimful
• grimless

Danish

Etymology

From Old Danish grim (“cruel, grim”), from Old Norse grimmr, from Proto-Germanic *grimmaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡ̊ʁɛmˀ]

Adjective

grim (neuter grimt, plural and definite singular attributive grimme)

1. ugly, unsightly
2. nasty

Inflection

Inflection of grim

	positive	comparative	superlative
indefinite common singular	grim	grimmere	grimmest2
indefinite neuter singular	grimt	grimmere	grimmest2
plural	grimme	grimmere	grimmest2
definite attributive1	grimme	grimmere	grimmeste

¹ When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite,
the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
² The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Derived terms

• grimhed
• tudegrim

References

• “grim” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “grim” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch grim, from Old Dutch grim, from Proto-West Germanic *grimm, from Proto-Germanic *grimmaz. Very uncommon in modern Dutch; recent usage may be influenced by English grim.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

grim (comparative grimmer, superlative grimst)

1. (uncommon) grim

   Synonym: grimmig (more common)

Declension

Declension of grim
uninflected	grim
inflected	grimme
comparative	grimmer
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		grim	grimmer	het grimst het grimste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	grimme	grimmere	grimste
	n. sing.	grim	grimmer	grimste
	plural	grimme	grimmere	grimste
definite		grimme	grimmere	grimste
partitive		grims	grimmers	—

Derived terms

• grimheid

Related terms

• grimmen
• grimmig

Kalasha

Verb

grim

1. taking

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse grimmr, from Proto-Germanic *grimmaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡrɪmː/

Adjective

grim (masculine and feminine grim, neuter grimt, definite singular and plural grimme, comparative grimmare, superlative grimmast, definite superlative grimmaste)

1. grim, ugly, unsightly

Related terms

• gram

Etymology 2

From Old Norse grímr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡriːm/

Noun

grim m (definite singular grimen, indefinite plural grimar, definite plural grimane)

1. (folklore) a kind of wight

Derived terms

• fossegrim

Related terms

• grime

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡriːm/

Verb

grim

1. imperative of grime

References

• “grim” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Dutch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *grimm, from Proto-Germanic *grimmaz.

Adjective

grim

1. evil
2. fearsome, terrifying

Inflection

Declension of grim (a-stem)

strong declension
case	masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
nominative	grim	grim	grim	grimma, grimme
accusative	grimman, grimmen	grimma	grim	grimma, grimme
genitive	grimmes	grimmero	grimmes	grimmero
dative	grimmin, grimmemo	grimmero	grimmin, grimmemo	grimmon
weak declension
case	masculine	feminine	neuter	plural
nominative	grimmo	grimma	grimma	grimmon
accusative	grimmon	grimmon	grimma	grimmon
genitive	grimmin	grimmon	grimmin	grimmono
dative	grimmin	grimmon	grimmin	grimmon

Descendants

• Middle Dutch: grim
  • Dutch: grim

References

• “grim, gram”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡrim/
• Rhymes: -im

Adjective

grim (superlative grimmest)

1. alternative form of grimm

Declension

Declension of grim — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	grim	grim	grim
Accusative	grimne	grimme	grim
Genitive	grimmes	grimre	grimmes
Dative	grimmum	grimre	grimmum
Instrumental	grimme	grimre	grimme
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	grimme	grimma, grimme	grim
Accusative	grimme	grimma, grimme	grim
Genitive	grimra	grimra	grimra
Dative	grimmum	grimmum	grimmum
Instrumental	grimmum	grimmum	grimmum

Declension of grim — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	grimma	grimme	grimme
Accusative	grimman	grimman	grimme
Genitive	grimman	grimman	grimman
Dative	grimman	grimman	grimman
Instrumental	grimman	grimman	grimman
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	grimman	grimman	grimman
Accusative	grimman	grimman	grimman
Genitive	grimra, grimmena	grimra, grimmena	grimra, grimmena
Dative	grimmum	grimmum	grimmum
Instrumental	grimmum	grimmum	grimmum