grizzled
/'grizld/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: 1. Having hair that is streaked or mixed with gray: Describes hair, fur, or a beard that is not uniformly one color but is a mixture of dark (often brown or black) and gray or white hairs. 2. Appearing grayish or having a grayish appearance: Can describe a general appearance that is grayish, often due to a mixture of colors or age.
Usage and Examples
- Describing hair or fur:
- The old sailor had a grizzled beard.
- We saw a grizzled bear foraging near the riverbank.
- Describing general appearance:
- His grizzled features spoke of a hard life spent outdoors.
Advanced Usage
- "Grizzled veteran": A common collocation referring to an experienced, often older, person who has endured many challenges, particularly in military, sports, or professional contexts.
- The grizzled veteran offered wise advice to the new recruits.
Variants and Related Words
- Grizzle (verb, archaic): To make or become gray.
- Grizzling (noun, chiefly British): The act of crying fretfully (a different, unrelated meaning).
- Grizzly (adjective): Grayish or gray-haired. (Note: This is also a separate noun for the bear, ).
Synonyms
- Graying
- Hoary (literary, suggests age and whiteness)
- Salt-and-pepper (idiomatic, specifically for hair)
Antonyms
- Jet-black
- Uniformly colored
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Salt-and-pepper hair: An idiom very close in meaning to "grizzled hair," emphasizing the mix of dark and light strands.
- He was distinguished-looking with his salt-and-pepper hair.
Adjective
- having dark hairs mixed with grey or white