gruesome

adjective

grue·​some ˈgrü-səm 

variants or less commonly grewsome

: inspiring horror or repulsion : grisly

gruesome stories of wounded comrades

gruesomely adverb

gruesomeness noun

Synonyms

• appalling
• atrocious
• awful
• dreadful
• frightful
• ghastly
• grisly
• hideous
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrid
• horrific
• horrifying
• lurid
• macabre
• monstrous
• nightmare
• nightmarish
• shocking
• terrible
• terrific

Choose the Right Synonym for gruesome

ghastly, grisly, gruesome, macabre, lurid mean horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect.

ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

grisly and gruesome suggest additionally the results of extreme violence or cruelty.

an unusually grisly murder

suffered a gruesome death

macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.

a macabre tale of premature burial

lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder.

the lurid details of a crime

Examples of gruesome in a Sentence

The police report described the scene in gruesome detail.

didn't stick around to hear the gruesome details of the car accident

Recent Examples on the Web

The crowd at American Airlines Center in Dallas grew quiet after Hendricks collapsed to the floor midway through the third quarter, writhing in pain as his right leg jutted out from his body at a gruesome angle. —Danielle Jennings, People.com, 29 Oct. 2024

Although the trial has revealed a wealth of new information surrounding the case, one aspect remains unclear: the motive behind the gruesome crime. —Zoe Sottile, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024

Surratt, played by theater actress Victoria Sova, recounted gruesome tales of deaths that took place in and around the country's most vaunted and historic sites. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024

Somewhere along the way, this gruesome celluloid artifact was elevated from being the sick and disreputable product of a gutter genre to being a high-art masterpiece (Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick and Ridley Scott all owned 35mm prints of the film). —Chris Nashawaty, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier growsome, from English dialect grow, grue to shiver, from Middle English gruen, probably from Middle Dutch grūwen; akin to Old High German ingrūēn to shiver

First Known Use

circa 1700, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

gruesome

adjective

grue·​some ˈgrü-səm 

: causing horror or disgust : horrible

gruesomely adverb

gruesomeness noun