ETYMOLOGY: After Thomas Gradgrind, the utilitarian mill-owner in Charles Dickens's novel Hard Times. Gradgrind runs a school with the idea that hard facts and rules are more important than love, emotions, and feelings. Dickens introduces us to this character with a description of his most central feature: … Thomas Gradgrind, Sr., on a tour of the Gradgrind school) and com­ bines them with social Darwinism to justify his rapacious economic practices. 1 word related to hard times: time. Is Sissy named Sissy Jupe for a reason? This I leave to yo." For example did Dickens use the last name Gradgrind for a reason? MEANING: noun: Someone who is solely interested in cold, hard facts. Tom Gradgrind, the son, is also a face of the middle class. Synonyms for Gradgrind in Free Thesaurus. Earliest documented use: 1855. Here he learns — much to his regret — that Bitzer, one of his former students, has learned his lesson well; Bitzer refuses to help young Tom escape. The name "gradgrind" is associated with the mechanical, repetitive drudgery of the factory system in Dickens's working notes for the novel, which indicate that on January 20th, 1854, he was toying with such possible titles as "The Grindstone," "The universal grindstone," "Two and … Example sentences containing Gradgrind As before, hard facts abound and pressure is applied to create model children. Thomas Gradgrind is the notorious school board Superintendent in Dickens's 1854 novel Hard Times who is dedicated to the pursuit of profitable enterprise. Definition of Gradgrind in the Fine Dictionary. Gradgrind also vows to clear the name of an accused worker. Similarly, Gradgrind is later the one to whom the dying Stephen turns for reparation: "Sir, yo will clear me an' mak my name good wi' aw men. Dickens carries the cold, inflexible feel of Gradgrind’s idealism into his home life and family and, by repeating the word “model”, conveys Gradgrind’s well-meaning convictions. His name is now used generically to refer to someone who is hard and only concerned with cold facts and numbers. The vulnerability of each protagonist—Stephen and Louisa—is increased because of affection for another person. Whats the meaning behind Sparsit? Pronunciation of Gradgrind and its etymology. Thomas Gradgrind is the first character we meet in Hard Times, and one of the central figures through whom Dickens weaves a web of intricately connected plotlines and characters. etc etc. ' Meaning of Gradgrind with illustrations and photos. Related words - Gradgrind synonyms, antonyms, hypernyms and hyponyms. Both Utilitarianism and social Darwinism are under­ minded by having the cad, P underby, espouse them. gradgrind: One who relies solely on scientific measurements and observable facts without taking human nature into consideration. What are synonyms for Gradgrind? Antonyms for Gradgrind. 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