About
This adjective is used to describe a setting or situation in a fictional work that are considered astonishing but are dark, depressive, violent and edgy. Grimdark it’s also an art style that uses shades and lacks bright colors (it can also be in black and white), with mature themes.
Origin
The word comes from the tagline of Warhammer 40k: “In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.” Fans quickly adopted the term “Grimdark” to describe any setting and artwork that shared the same qualities (pessimist, mature, violent, etc.).
Spread
The word did not began to spread until Warhammer 40k was widely know through the internet community.
Related links
1d4chan
Warhammer40k
Tvtropes darker and edgier
Tvtropes Crapsack world