[grim] adj grim.mer ; grim.mest [ME, fr. OE grimm; akin to OHG grimm fierce, Gk chremetizein to neigh] (bef. 12c) 1: fierce in disposition or action: savage
2. a: stern or forbidding in action or appearance "a ~ taskmaster" b: somber, gloomy
3: ghastly, repellent, or sinister in character "a ~ tale"
4: unflinching, unyielding "~ determination" -- grim.ly adv -- grim.ness n