Word
grizzly
Phoneticsgriz·zly
US/ˈɡɹɪzɫi/
UK/ɡɹˈɪzli/
Definition
n. a very large, powerful brown bear that lives in North America. These bears are known for being strong and sometimes dangerous to humans.
n. a large, powerful subspecies of brown bear native to North America, characterized by a distinctive hump on its shoulders and long claws. Often used as a shortened form of 'grizzly bear'.
Examples
“The hikers saw a grizzly from a safe distance.”
“Wildlife experts warn that a grizzly can run much faster than a human, even when going uphill.”
“Conservation efforts in the national park have led to a steady increase in the grizzly population, though this success brings new challenges regarding human-wildlife conflict in nearby towns.”
Examples
simple
“The hikers saw a grizzly from a safe distance.”
contextual
“Wildlife experts warn that a grizzly can run much faster than a human, even when going uphill.”
complex
“Conservation efforts in the national park have led to a steady increase in the grizzly population, though this success brings new challenges regarding human-wildlife conflict in nearby towns.”
Usage
Often used as a modifier before 'bear', but functions as a standalone noun in North American English.
Real-World Examples
“Roadless areas provide large, relatively undisturbed landscapes that are important to biological diversity and the long-term survival of endangered and threatened species, including wolves, grizzly bears, wolverines, Pacific salmon and even jaguars .” Etymology
From grizzle + -y.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/grizzly