grim

grim [grım] adj

[: Old English; Origin: grimm]

1.) making you feel worried or unhappy

= ↑harsh

▪ the grim reality of rebuilding the shattered town

▪ When he lost his job, his future looked grim.

▪ Millions of Britons face the grim prospect (=something bad that will probably happen) of dearer home loans.

▪ We received the grim news in silence.

2.) looking or sounding very serious

▪ 'I'll survive,' he said with a grim smile.

▪ The child hung on to her arm with grim determination .

▪ The police officers were silent and grim-faced.

3.) BrE informal very bad, ugly, or unpleasant

▪ The weather forecast is pretty grim.

▪ They painted a grim picture of what life used to be like there.

▪ a grim industrial town

4.) [not before noun] informal

ill

▪ Juliet felt grim through the early months of her pregnancy.

5.) hold/hang on for/like grim death

BrE informal to hold something very tightly because you are afraid

>grimly adv

▪ Arnold smiled grimly.

>grimness n [U]