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

plural

grizzlies

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

Etymology

Origin of grizzly

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

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

It’s all pretty grizzly, and it’s increasingly mundane.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026

Unsurprisingly, War Secretary Warrior-Ethos-Man appeared on Fox News the next day to brag about this pitiful behavior, acting as if he’d won a wrestling match with a grizzly bear.

From Salon • Dec. 3, 2025

Within a few weeks, her collar showed she had traveled 90 miles, a grizzly commute across four freeways and into the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu where bears had rarely been seen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

Although once more than 10,000 grizzly bears roamed California post-Gold Rush, hunting and trapping decimated the grizzlies’ numbers, with the last sighting having been in 1924.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025

I stop in the doorway and give that grizzly bear a good long stare.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett