Synonyms

grimly

American

[grim-lee] / ˈgrɪm li /

adverb

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.

Etymology

Origin of grimly

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

Vocabulary lists containing grimly

"The Interlopers" and "An Interview with the King of Terror"

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

By 1929 Vincent Sheean, an American journalist, was describing Jerusalem in a way that is grimly familiar to reporters there almost a century later.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2025

As horrible as this is to witness, the situation also grimly verges on parody.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2025

“Well, just be careful what you drink, because Romilda Vane looked like she meant business,” said Hermione grimly.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023