Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

grum

/ɡɹʌm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.75 in modern English

Syllables: grum
IPA: /ɡɹʌm/

7

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Morose, stern, surly, sullen.

adj

Low, deep in the throat; guttural

Example Sentences

"Look not so grum at me; there is something to make thee more cheerful. (Offering him money with one hand, while he receives the bag with the other.)"
"She cast a speculative look upon her husband, silent and grum as if he had been thus gruffly carved out of wood."
"a grum voice"

Etymology

From Middle English grom, from Old English grom, gram (“angry, wrathful”), from Proto-Germanic *gramaz (“angry, bearing a grudge”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrem- (“to thunder, rub, tear, scratch”). Probably influenced in form by glum. Compare also Danish grum (“cruel, atrocious, fell”), Swedish grym (“cruel, furious, terrible”). See also grim, gram, grump.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: grom, *gramaz, *gʰrem-

Inflected Forms

grummer (comparative) grummest (superlative)

Derived Forms

grumly grumness

Synonyms

glum grim sour

Rhymes With

from some come become dumb mum sum um drum cum thumb gum

Questions

How do you pronounce grum?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɡɹʌm/.
What does grum mean?: Morose, stern, surly, sullen.
Where does grum come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce grum

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “grum”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɡɹʌm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “grum”.
Repeat and practice — Say “grum” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.