grizzled
Weathered and gray
Grizzled describes hair that is gray or streaked with gray, and by extension, a person whose hair has grayed: a grizzled old sailor, his grizzled beard.
The word carries connotations of age and weathered experience—grizzled characters in fiction tend to be tough, world-weary veterans rather than merely elderly.
Mixed gray and dark
- hoaryAged and gray
- frostedCovered with icy film
- gray-hairedHaving silver locks
- silveryPale metallic sheen
pewter · white-haired · streaked · graying · ashen · gunmetal · dappled · distinguished
Damaged by outdoor exposure
- leatheryResembling animal hide
- linedMarked with parallel marks
- wrinkledHaving surface folds
- craggyRough with rocky projections
furrowed · rugged · careworn · creased · seasoned · worn · toughened · hardened
Advanced in age
- venerableDeserving honor for dignity
- oldExisting many years
- ancientVery old indeed
- patriarchMale head of family
matriarch · senior · long-lived · time-honored · sage · wise · elder · world-weary
Toughened by combat experience
- campaignerOne who advocates publicly
- seasonedFlavored or battle-tested
- experiencedHaving practical knowledge gained
- scarredMarked by healed wounds
retired · service · decorated · battle-scarred · old-timer · war-weary · hardbitten
salt-and-pepper
Mixed gray and dark
- hoaryAged and gray
- frostedCovered with icy film
- gray-hairedHaving silver locks
silvery · pewter · white-haired · streaked · graying · ashen · gunmetal · dappled · distinguished · temples
weather-beaten
Damaged by outdoor exposure
craggy · furrowed · rugged · careworn · creased · seasoned · worn · toughened · hardened · time-worn
elderly
Advanced in age
patriarch · matriarch · senior · long-lived · time-honored · sage · wise · elder · world-weary · storied
battle-hardened
Toughened by combat experience
- campaignerOne who advocates publicly
- seasonedFlavored or battle-tested
- experiencedHaving practical knowledge gained
scarred · retired · service · decorated · battle-scarred · old-timer · war-weary · hardbitten
beard
Facial hair growth
bushy · scruffy · bristly · goatee · sideburns · mustache · muttonchops · whiskered · stubbly · rough-hewn
disheveled
Untidy in appearance
rough · haggard · gaunt · shabby · rumpled · bedraggled · scraggly · tangled · matted · unwashed
- aging signswrinkles, fine lines, wrinkled skin, gray hair, frown lines
- tough traitstough, resilient, fearless, brave, courageous
- bird markingsbars, bands, barred, banded, spots
- patternspattern, chevron, geometric pattern, stripes, plaid
- age descriptorsaged, elderly, old, young, youthful
- age termsyoung, old, older, younger, youngest
grizzledjet-black
Deepest possible shade
raven-haired · dark-haired · blond · blonde · auburn
grizzledyoung
Not yet mature
youthful · fresh-faced · boyish · girlish · baby-faced
- grizzly bearLarge North American ursine
- grizzly bear habitatRegion supporting large omnivores
- mama grizzlyFiercely protective conservative woman