grisly

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

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

• 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

The jurors saw grisly photos of the crime scene.

the police report described the murder scene in grisly detail

Recent Examples on the Web

Taking inspiration from The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Douglas Sirk melodramas of the '50s, director Ti West delights in playing with contrasts in Pearl, adorning grisly murders and a terrifying lead performance with a sumptuous score and rich, saturated colors. —Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025

The grisly events in El Fasher come over two and a half years into a brutal civil war that has claimed the lives of more than 150,000 people. —Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025

In one of the most grisly videos, RSF fighters were seen walking over dozens of bloodied corpses in a hospital, identified as the Saudi Maternity Hospital, executing any survivors. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2025

The grisly crime came to light on Sunday, when Motes’s father saw her drive a Nissan sedan into the parking lot of a Sam’s Club and Walmart Supercenter in Oakwood, according to an arrest warrant obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11 Alive and WSB-TV. —Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for grisly

• grizzly

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Kids Definition

grisly

adjective

gris·​ly ˈgriz-lē 

grislier; grisliest

: horrible, gruesome

a grisly description of the fire

grisliness noun