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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.

Etymology

Origin of grimly

First recorded before 1000; grim ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"The old devil intended Rowan to suffer," said Strong Jonn grimly.

From Literature

Some fun, Jonathan thought grimly, but he’d rather have Abby think it was a game than to have her screaming in terror.

From Literature

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

Holding a pen like a gun grimly acknowledges Irish history, opposition to British rule as well as the sectarian Troubles between Protestants and Catholics.

From The Wall Street Journal

These tasks she did grimly, in keeping with her unfortunate circumstances.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.