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grimness

grimness

2 6.7
A harsh, unpleasant quality that makes people feel afraid or worried
  • noun
  • /ɡrɪmnəs/
translation icon : seriedad
  • She could sense the grimness in the atmosphere as the storm approached.

Examples

  • Nights, especially this time of year, I concluded that part of the grimness was the lack of physical sunlight.

    Blog text (24)
  • Eliza heard the grimness in his voice and let her knitting needles fall silent.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • "I'll think of something," he replied, with a certain grimness.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The state is truly "wild and wonderful," but it has some underlying grimness to it, as if long ago some ancient evil were imprisoned there.

    Blog text (8)
  • Even the few that might've been curious got all the grimness they could stand from the Great War.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • His grimness struck me as irritatingly comical.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The faces of punters around the table: concentration, grimness, apprehension...

    Fiction book (1998)
  • I find the laughter of children a powerful antidote to the grimness of that reality and to any personal depression that I might be tempted to indulge in.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • For a respite from such grimness, I've also started reading Shakey: Neil Young's Biography by Jimmy McDonough.

    Blog text (10)
  • The grimness of the abandoned house sent chills down my spine.

Synonyms

hardship
vsgrimness
128 3.4

A time of serious difficulty, often with little money or food

focuses more on an unpleasant, frightening quality than on suffering
severity
vsgrimness
49 5.1

The level of how bad or serious something is

stresses a harsh mood or fear rather than only measured degree
rigor
vsgrimness
  • Formal
24 8.1

Harsh physical or mental conditions that are hard to bear

focuses more on unpleasant mood and frightening effect than condition
unpleasantness
vsgrimness
17 4.2

A feeling of discomfort or dislike

is stronger, adding severity and a frightening or distressing tone
harsh reality
vsgrimness
11 4.4

A difficult truth you must accept

is more about a harsh mood and fear rather than a fact
awfulness
vsgrimness
7 6.0

A very unpleasant quality that makes people feel bad

is narrower, focusing on harshness that causes fear or distress
nastiness
vsgrimness
3 5.0

A strong unpleasant quality that makes people uncomfortable

adds an element of harsh severity and potential to frighten
bleakness
vsgrimness
3 6.3

A cold, empty feeling that makes a place or situation seem sad

is less about emptiness and more about harsh fear or severity
harshness
vsgrimness
2 3.5

A strong unpleasant effect that hurts the senses

adds an element of fear or distress beyond mere roughness
hideousness
vsgrimness
2 6.3

Extreme ugliness that makes people feel shocked or disgusted

is broader, stressing severity and fear as well as ugliness
terribleness
vsgrimness
1 6.6

A state when something is very bad and frightening

emphasizes harshness that also causes fear or distress
hellishness
vsgrimness
1 8.4

A state of great suffering that feels like being in hell

is similar but covers milder harshness and fear as well
horribleness
vsgrimness
1 5.9

A very unpleasant, shocking state that causes fear or disgust

is more about steady harsh severity than shocking detail
gruesomeness
vsgrimness
  • NSFW
1 7.0

A very shocking and frightening scene or detail that makes you feel sick

is less about gruesome detail and more about harsh severity
disgustingness
vsgrimness
1 6.5

How gross or unpleasant something is

focuses more on harsh, fearful quality rather than disgust reaction
shittiness
vsgrimness
  • Offensive
1 9.6

A very bad quality that makes something unpleasant

is more formal and centers on harsh fear rather than crude misery
somberness
vsgrimness
  • US
1 6.5

A serious, sad mood that feels quiet and heavy

is harsher, adding severity and fear beyond simple gloominess
grittiness
vsgrimness
1 5.2

A raw, harsh style that makes art or stories feel real

is harsher and more likely to cause fear or distress
painfulness
vsgrimness
1 3.4

A state that causes physical or emotional hurt

also includes a harsh, frightening quality beyond causing pain
ghastliness
vsgrimness
1 8.5

A very shocking and horrible sight that scares people

includes harshness and fear but is not limited to macabre images
loathsomeness
vsgrimness
1 9.1

A strong feeling that something is very unpleasant or disgusting

is more about harsh severity and fear than disgust alone
moroseness
vsgrimness
1 8.4

A gloomy, unfriendly mood that makes a person quiet and hard to approach

is more severe, including harshness and distress beyond sullenness
roughness
vsgrimness
1 3.9

A harsh quality in a voice or behavior that feels severe

is broader, adding an unpleasant frightening quality beyond mere severity
severeness
vsgrimness
7.8

How strong and harmful something is, like pain or bad weather

adds an unpleasant, fear‑inducing quality beyond simple intensity
rigorousness
vsgrimness
7.7

Being very harsh and hard for people or things to endure

carries more emotional unpleasantness and potential to cause fear
unbearableness
vsgrimness
7.0

A quality that makes pain or trouble very hard to stand

adds a fear or distress element, not only endurance limits
nightmarishness
vsgrimness
9.1

A quality that makes situations feel very frightening and unpleasant

is broader, also meaning steady harshness without dreamlike terror
dreadfulness
vsgrimness
7.7

A very strong feeling of fear when something is shocking or awful

is more specific about harshness that causes fear or distress
horridness
vsgrimness
7.7

A very unpleasant quality that shocks people

emphasizes persistent harshness and fear rather than sudden dread
luridness
vsgrimness
  • NSFW
9.1

A shocking, vivid way of telling a story to make people react

leans more to plain harshness and distress rather than spectacle
gloominess
vsgrimness
4.4

A sad, frowning look on a person's face

adds unpleasant harshness and possible fear to that mood
asperity
vsgrimness
  • Formal
9.9

Very harsh conditions that are difficult to live in

stresses an emotional harshness that can cause fear or distress

Antonyms

4 1.0

A happy mood that makes you smile and helps others feel good

2 3.4

A feeling that something is nice and enjoyable

How Severe

brutality
  • Offensive
187 5.6
severity
49 5.1
grimness
2 6.7
harshness
6 4.1
sternness
1 5.1
strictness
3 3.4
mildness
1 3.3

Surface Forms

grimness singular
grimnesses plural

Morphology

grimness = grim (transparent) = grim + ness

Productive nominalization from the adjective 'grim' using the common suffix '-ness', yielding the straightforward meaning 'the quality of being grim'.

Etymology

Grimness comes from the old word grim, which meant 'fierce' or 'stern'. So picture a hard, frightening face or a bleak, cold place, because that is why grimness means 'harsh, unpleasant, or causing fear'.