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

• horrific
• horrible
• shocking
• terrible
• awful
• frightening

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

But the gruesome truth remains — more than 120 are people are dead, including children. —Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 11 July 2025

Other all-original haunted houses will include Jason Universe, which takes guests back to the summer camp where, one Friday the 13th, the gruesome legend was born. —Tom Tapp, Deadline, 10 July 2025

On June 11, a 9-year-old girl snorkeling off the coast of Boca Grande, Florida, on the state's Gulf Coast, sustained a gruesome shark bite that nearly severed her hand. —Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 9 July 2025

The warriors who pillaged distant lands, for instance, returned with at least 20,000 elephants, lions, leopards and other exotic creatures that were paraded in public spaces and killed in gruesome displays of power, their meat likely distributed to city residents. —Krista Langlois, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2025

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