Antonyms for grave

Grammar : Adj, noun

Spell : greyv

Phonetic Transcription : greɪv

Definition of grave

Origin : Old English græf "grave, ditch, cave," from Proto-Germanic *graban (cf. Old Saxon graf, Old Frisian gref, Old High German grab "grave, tomb;" Old Norse gröf "cave," Gothic graba "ditch"), from PIE root *ghrebh- "to dig, to scratch, to scrape" (cf. Old Church Slavonic grobu "grave, tomb"); related to grafan "to dig" (see grave (v.)).
"The normal mod. representation of OE. græf would be graff; the ME. disyllable grave, from which the standard mod. form descends, was prob. due to the especially frequent occurrence of the word in the dat. (locative) case. [OED]
From Middle Ages to 17c., they were temporary, crudely marked repositories from which the bones were removed to ossuaries after some years and the grave used for a fresh burial. "Perpetual graves" became common from c.1650. To make (someone) turn in his grave "behave in some way that would have offended the dead person" is first recorded 1888.

adj serious; gloomy
adj crucial, dangerous
noun burial place

Example sentences :

“I mean a man sad and grave as the monks of Beaulieu,” said the jester.
Extract from : « The Armourer's Prentices » by Charlotte M. Yonge

Then he set to work and made himself a grave which was to endure for all time.
Extract from : « Ancient Man » by Hendrik Willem van Loon

See what grave reflections an innocent subject will produce!
Extract from : « Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9) » by Samuel Richardson

Excuse me, my dear friend, for these grave soliloquies, as I may call them.
Extract from : « Clarissa, Volume 1 (of 9) » by Samuel Richardson

What way will I live and the girls with me, and I an old woman looking for the grave?
Extract from : « Riders to the Sea » by J. M. Synge

Alas, the vanity of mortal projects, even when they centre in the grave!
Extract from : « Other Tales and Sketches » by Nathaniel Hawthorne

But every body else was there, so we did not miss these grave and reverend seigniors.
Extract from : « Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 6, May 7, 1870 » by Various

Mary regarded the owner of the store with grave questioning in her violet eyes.
Extract from : « Within the Law » by Marvin Dana

I should not rest quiet in the grave, coz, if I had not another turn at them.
Extract from : « The White Company » by Arthur Conan Doyle

"Don't worry about the boy," he said, with grave kindliness.
Extract from : « Within the Law » by Marvin Dana

Synonyms for grave

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019