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

Schlepping from town to town to support his gruesome secret tradition, Billy flashes forward from a terrifying memory from the car-jacking that killed his parents when was 8 years old. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Dec. 2025

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner suffered a gruesome ankle injury back in Week 6, fracturing it and dislocating it during a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. —Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025

The gruesome discovery was made Tuesday afternoon. —Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025

Ultimately, there’s only so much Welcome to Derry can do to capture the terror and carnage of the Black Spot fire, described in the novel by a dying Will in gruesome detail. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 Dec. 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