A mean or grouchy person who ruins other people's fun or doesn't celebrate holidays with joy; someone who is stingy or lacks Christmas spirit.
Invented by Dr. Seuss for his 1957 children's book 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'. The word is likely onomatopoetic, resembling a grumbling or grinding sound.
The Grinch is proof that one author can create a word so perfect it enters the dictionary and becomes part of how we describe grumpy people—over 65 years later, 'grinch' is still the go-to word for holiday killjoys!
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