grim
Gloomy, harsh and without cheer.
grim in a sentence
- The old prison stood grim and grey on the hilltop, its walls streaked with rain.
- The news from the allotment was grim: slugs had eaten every single lettuce overnight.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to grim?
- Acheerful
- Bpleasant
- Cbright
- Dgloomy
Show the answer
D: gloomy. The other three mean the opposite of grim.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to grim?
- Acheerful
- Bgloomy
- Cdark
- Dharsh
Show the answer
A: cheerful. The other three mean nearly the same as grim.
Words that mean something similar
gloomy, harsh, dark
Words that mean the opposite
cheerful, bright, pleasant
More words about places & settings
- habitable: Good enough for people or animals to live in.
- haven: A safe place where you can shelter from harm.
- hazardous: Dangerous and likely to cause harm.
- inhabit: To live in a place.
- interior: The inside part of something.
- isolate: To keep someone or something apart from others.
- jeopardy: A state of danger, when something could be harmed or lost.
- knoll: A small round hill.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test