grimly

American  

[grim-lee] / ˈgrɪm li /

adverb

1. in a stern, sinister, fierce, or forbidding way.

   The mood has turned bleak here as the populace prepares grimly for a period of prolonged hardship and, they fear, war.

   For many years, art was forbidden in the country unless it was grimly, dully figurative or a gaudy mural glorifying the dictator’s regime.

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Etymology

Origin of grimly

First recorded before 1000; grim ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grimly

Neither of us knew what the other was dealing with until years later, when, as adults, we were able to laugh grimly over our late arrival to a world of clothes that actually fit.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026

The reasons for John’s ferocious emotional repression are not fully explored, but they seem intrinsic to his grimly sustaining notion of island heritage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

The home side were grimly hanging on for half-time, but Gourgeus shrugged off a weak tackle from Josh McKay to go over for his second and Toulouse's third.

From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2025

LosGothsCo held its Gothicumbia homecoming party on Aug. 15 at the Regent in downtown L.A., where a grimly fiendish procession of DJs spinning the sounds of cumbia, new Latin alternative, post-punk and rock en español.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025

Fischer, after moving to collect Spassky’s gift, sat back in his chair, grimly, staring at the Russian—studying him.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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Related Words

• brutally
• firmly
• powerfully

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