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 of gruesome

• horrific
• shocking
• horrible
• nightmare
• horrifying
• terrible
• frightening
• terrific
• terrifying
• dreadful

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 filings also revealed a gruesome new detail about the case and provided some clarity about Burke’s status in the eyes of prosecutors. —Allison Gordon, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026

In his home darkroom, a crime scene photographer develops pictures of a gruesome murder, and each new print comes out more unsettling than the last. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Mar. 2026

Several times when prosecutors played video from the 2024 shooting in Far Rockaway, his widow Stephanie Diller stepped out of the courtroom, sparing herself the grisly and gruesome details of how her husband and father of her 3-year-old boy died trying to disarm an ex-convict on a busy street. —Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026

Priscilla Marshall, 34, showed no emotion while an assistant state's attorney read the gruesome details, saying Marshall managed to keep the abuse a secret from neighbors and her son's school for years. —Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2026

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