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. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grimly

Instead, she stands up, pops her dislocated shoulder back into its socket and grimly declares to the shocked classmate filming her, “This is Claire Bennet, and that was attempt No. 6.”

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

However perverse and depraved the ideas that animate the Islamic Republic and Hezbollah, they inspire the kind of conviction that motivates people to fight grimly on against the odds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

“Yes,” Robby grimly answers, “that is how it works.”

From Salon ● Jan. 8, 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

But there will be another day, fairy, he thought grimly.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Related Words

• brutally
• firmly
• powerfully