grimly

[grim-lee]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of grimly¹

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

Example Sentences

Holding a pen like a gun grimly acknowledges Irish history, opposition to British rule as well as the sectarian Troubles between Protestants and Catholics.

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The Babushkawoos never listened, but whispered cruel remarks as Penelope grimly plowed ahead.

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But Lord Fredrick showed no interest whatsoever in the conversation and concentrated grimly on his food.

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“It’s just a hole in the ground,” he says grimly.

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The production is somewhat hampered by Anthony Tran’s cumbersome costumes and Chin’s grimly rational scenic design.

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Related Words

• brutally www.thesaurus.com
• firmly 
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