grisly

1 of 2

adjective

gris·​ly ˈgriz-lē 

grislier; grisliest

1

: inspiring horror or intense fear

grisly tales of murder

… houses that were dark and grisly under the blank, cold sky …

—D. H. Lawrence

2

: inspiring disgust or distaste

a grisly account of the fire

grisliness noun

grisliness

2 of 2

noun

gris·​li·​ness

ˈgrizlēnə̇s, 

-lin-

plural -es

: the quality or state of being grisly

Did you know?

An angry grizzly bear could certainly inspire fear, so grizzly and grisly must be related, right? Grizzly comes from the Middle English adjective grisel, meaning "gray." Like its close relative grizzled, grizzly means "sprinkled or streaked with gray." In other words, the grizzly bear got its name because the hairs of its brownish to buff coat usually have silver or pale tips, creating a grizzled effect, not because it causes terror. Grisly is related to Old English grislic, which comes from a verb meaning "to fear" and which gives grisly its "terrifying" sense.

Synonyms of grisly

Adjective

• gruesome
• horrific
• shocking

Choose the Right Synonym for grisly

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 grisly in a Sentence

Adjective

The jurors saw grisly photos of the crime scene.

the police report described the murder scene in grisly detail

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Visible signs of body-hijacking mental illness drive Ingrid to a grisly suicide in the bathroom that her daughter is forced to witness. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026

Jurors were shown a photo of a green body bag at the beginning of her questioning, followed by a grisly photo of his body. — CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026

First responders recounted the grisly scene at the family’s Duxbury home, where Cora, Dawson and Callan were found lying in the basement with exercise resistance bands around their necks. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

The nation became both fascinated and sickened with the case during the nine-month trial that ensued, which resulted in Manson being sentenced to death in 1971 for conspiracy to commit the grisly murders. — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Old English grislic, from gris- (akin to Old English āgrīsan to fear); akin to Old High German grīsenlīh terrible

Noun

Middle English grislines, from grisly + -nes -ness

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for grisly

• grizzly

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

grisly

adjective

gris·​ly ˈgriz-lē 

grislier; grisliest

: horrible, gruesome

a grisly description of the fire

grisliness noun