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

1. having dark hairs mixed with grey or white