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

Getting confronted with gruesome, horrific imagery has, unfortunately, become an assumed risk when logging onto social media. —Charles Trepany, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025

Congress remains recalcitrant to gun reform even after the gruesome scenes at Parkland, Uvalde, and Sandy Hook. —John J. Donohue, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025

Ditto for the suspect in Zarutska’s gruesome knifing death on a Charlotte, North Carolina, commuter train. —Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025

Surveillance cameras were rolling when Iryna Zarutska was brutally stabbed on a train in North Carolina on August 22, and the gruesome full video was later released publicly. —Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 11 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