grizzly

American  

[griz-lee] / ˈgrɪz li /

adjective

grizzlier, grizzliest

1. somewhat gray; grayish.

2. having hair that is gray; gray-haired.

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noun

• grizzlies
  plural

1. grizzly bear.

2. a device for screening ore, consisting of a row of iron or steel bars.

grizzly British  

/ ˈɡrɪzlɪ /

adjective

1. somewhat grey; grizzled

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noun

1. See grizzly bear

Usage

Grizzly is sometimes wrongly used where grisly is meant: a grisly (not grizzly ) murder

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grizzlies
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of grizzly

First recorded in 1585–95; grizzle ¹ + -y ¹

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Explanation

A grizzly is a large North American species of bear also known as a silvertip bear. When you go camping and hiking in the western United States, park rangers might teach you what to do if you see a grizzly. The grizzly bear's formal Latin name, Ursus arctos horribilis, came from confusion between grizzly and grisly, or "horrible." Grizzly bears are known for being solitary and having brown fur tipped in white or gray. The adjective grizzly probably arose from these "grizzled" or gray-colored hairs, since it describes appearing aged or old, especially because of graying hair.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grizzly grizzlies grizzlier grizzliest

Between 10,000 and 13,000 grizzly bears are estimated to live in the province, according to the province's Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, which has classified them as vulnerable.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

“People may underestimate wind and solar power,” Cena says in one ad, describing industry job creation as he calmly defeats several grizzly bears in a tug-of-war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

The pigeon beat the California grizzly to the grave.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

And if we’re being honest, DiCaprio may have earned an Oscar for his performance in “The Revenant,” but he does not have the biceps to take on that CGI grizzly.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

Barnum shows his "mermaid" alongside real exotic animals like orangutans and grizzly bears.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

"With no hunting pressure, grizzlies and humans will increasingly occupy the same spaces with inevitable consequences," the BCWF's executive director Jesse Zeman said at the time.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

He stayed calm and still, quickly scanning his surroundings for other grizzlies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

“Everybody’s used to seeing grizzlies on TV catching salmon out of the air at the top of some waterfall, but black bears are one of the laziest animals on the planet,” he explains.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2025

But some wildlife officials say reintroducing grizzlies — which can weigh up to 1,000 pounds and run 35 mph for short bursts — would lead to increased conflict between humans and bears.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025

The forest was filled with grizzlies and wolves.

From "I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964" by Lauren Tarshis

Promotional artwork for season five seems to show a grizzlier Rick than we’ve seen before and, thus, probably some payout on the cliff hanger ending.

From Time ● Oct. 10, 2014

The bears ground the eagles with a swipe of the paw, and it only gets grizzlier from there.

From Slate ● Mar. 23, 2012

They hold to a notion of the individual that the grizzliest fur trapper west of the Missouri River 170 years ago would have found extreme.

From Salon ● May 26, 2013

Mated with the game's irresistible sweetness, the outcome is a game-world which is truly universal in its appeal – the youngest children and grizzliest hardcore gamers alike will be held equally rapt by its charms.

From The Guardian ● May 27, 2010

And when my father was a young man, somewhere up north of Sacramento, in a creek called Cache Slough, the tules was full of grizzliest He used to go in an' shoot 'em.

From The Valley of the Moon by Jack London

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