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 gruesome incident unfolded early Tuesday morning, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release. —Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 11 July 2024

Court papers detail months of gruesome threats Court documents filed in U.S. District Court of Western District of Washington detailed Garg’s sprawling harassment campaign that began in 2019 and ended with his arrest two years later. —Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 11 July 2024

The late Marie Delphine LaLaurie is remembered as both a wealthy New Orleans socialite and an enslaver, and her gruesome legacy is tied to a historic mansion on Royal Street, which has been seen on America’s Most Haunted Homes and depicted on FX’s American Horror Story: Coven. —Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 10 July 2024

West is naturally less interested in whodunnit than how-gory-did-they-make it, staging gruesome, old-school kills with a professional’s eye and a lifetime Fangoria subscriber’s giddiness. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 5 July 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