Wiktionary

grim

See also: Grim and -grim-

English

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Etymology 1

edit

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

edit

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.
    • 2019 August 30, Jonathan Watts, “Amazon fires show world heading for point of no return, says UN”, in The Guardian‎[1]:
      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.
    • 2012 March 22, Scott Tobias, “The Hunger Games”, in AV Club:
      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!
  5. (obsolete) Fierce, cruel, furious.
    Synonyms: ferocious, raging, savage, violent
Derived terms
edit
Translations
edit
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

Verb

edit

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

edit

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[2]:
      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

edit

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

edit

grim (countable and uncountable, plural grims)

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

Danish

edit

Etymology

edit

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

Pronunciation

edit

Adjective

edit

grim

  1. ugly, unsightly
  2. nasty

Inflection

edit
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.

Kalasha

edit

Verb

edit

grim

  1. taking

Norwegian Nynorsk

edit

Etymology 1

edit

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

Pronunciation

edit

Adjective

edit

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

  1. grim, ugly, unsightly
edit

Etymology 2

edit

From Old Norse grímr.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

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

  1. (folklore) a kind of wight
Derived terms
edit
edit

Etymology 3

edit

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

edit

Verb

edit

grim

  1. imperative of grime

References

edit

Old English

edit

Pronunciation

edit

Adjective

edit

grim (superlative grimmest)

  1. Alternative form of grimm

Declension

edit
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
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=grim&oldid=82786505"