Definition of GRINCH

grinch

Meanings

Plural: grinches

Noun

  • A grouch or killjoy.
  • A person who is aggressively intent on ruining the Christmas holidays for others.

Verb

  • To act like a grinch; to be a killjoy towards someone.

Origin / Etymology

Named after the main character in a children's book by Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957). Coined as early as 1953, the term was initially used for a fictitious bird named the "Beagle-Beaked-Bald-Headed Grinch" in Scrambled Eggs Super!; it became associated with the character in a poem published in the May 1955 issue of Redbook, "The Hoobub and the Grinch". Likely a corruption of grouch.

Synonyms

buzzkill, cold fish, dampener, downer, fun sponge, grinch, grouch, joy killer, killjoy, miserabilist, party pooper, spoilsport, stick in the mud, wet blanket, wet rag

Scrabble Score: 12

grinch is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
grinch is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
grinch is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

grinch is a valid Words With Friends word