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

Without his mother’s overbearing glare, Ed becomes romantically involved with Adeline Watkins (Suzanna Son), an intriguing outcast in town, and begins indulging in a spree of gruesome crimes that would later shock the nation. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025

Only the Miami Heat, who suffered a gruesome first-round demise, took more time to get into their first actions during the playoffs. —Fred Katz, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

Robert Zemeckis' comically gruesome look at female beauty standards finds Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn consuming a magic potion that promises eternal life — with a little (nay, a lot) of maintenance. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2025

However, a gruesome injury suffered by the team’s star wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, put a dampener on those emotions. —Ben Morse, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 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