gruesome

adjective

grue·​some ˈgrü-səm How to pronounce gruesome (audio)
variants or less commonly
: inspiring horror or repulsion : grisly
gruesome stories of wounded comrades
gruesomely adverb
gruesomeness noun
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What began with the worst attack on Israeli soil in the country’s history—when Hamas killed twelve hundred Israelis and took more than two hundred hostages on October 7, 2023—has led to a gruesome war. Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025 Making matters more difficult for Tagovailoa, his top wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, sustained a gruesome injury in the team’s Week 4 win over the Jets and is out for the season. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2025 Koch was never convicted of mutilating the corpses of the people who were murdered in Buchenwald; though some gruesome items were discovered there, there was no proof that they were connected to her. Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025 The horror film follows the discovery of and investigation into Gein's gruesome crimes. Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 8 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gruesome

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of gruesome was circa 1700

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gruesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gruesome. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

gruesome

adjective
grue·​some ˈgrü-səm How to pronounce gruesome (audio)
: causing horror or disgust : horrible
gruesomely adverb
gruesomeness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on gruesome

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