grizzly

[ griz-lee ]

/ ˈgrɪz li /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR grizzly ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, griz·zli·er, griz·zli·est.

somewhat gray; grayish.

having hair that is gray; gray-haired.

noun, plural griz·zlies.

grizzly bear.

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

RELATED WORDS

gray, leaden

Nearby words

grivation, grivet, grizzle, grizzled, grizzling, grizzly, grizzly bear, gro., groan, groaner, groaning

Origin of grizzly

First recorded in 1585–95; grizzle¹ + -y¹

Can be confusedgrisly gristly grizzled grizzly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for grizzly

The Reservation is sovereign Indian land, and the grizzly is a sacred animal to these tribes.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
FWS submitted a formal rule and delisted the grizzly in 2007, but was sued by wildlife groups.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Why the government is so vehemently eager to delist the grizzly remains a troublesome question.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The battle between conservation groups and FWS over the fate of the Yellowstone grizzly is about to repeat.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Yellowstone grizzly bears face the two greatest threats to their survival in our lifetime: global warming and the U.S. government.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So the grizzly just waits for a fish to rise—and then he pounces on it and catches it with his paw.
The Wonders of the Jungle|Prince Sarath Ghosh
Within two minutes after the grizzly disappeared Bruce and Metoosin scrambled up over the edge of the coulee.
The Grizzly King|James Oliver Curwood
It was the second grizzly bear the boys had seen since they had lived in that section and they gazed at him curiously.
Three Young Ranchmen|Ralph Bonehill
All at once a grizzly bear rose in her path and attacked the pony.
Geronimo's Story of His Life|Geronimo
Much has been said and written about the size and weight of the grizzly bear, and in most instances this has been mere guesswork.
American Big-Game Hunting|Various

British Dictionary definitions for grizzly

grizzly

/ (ˈɡrɪzlɪ) /

adjective -zlier or -zliest

somewhat grey; grizzled

noun plural -zlies

See grizzly bear

usage

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for grizzly

grizzly

adj.

1590s, from grizzle "gray" (see grizzled) + -y (2). Grizzly bear (ursus horribilis) is first recorded 1807 but belongs rather to grisly.