Synonyms of gory

gory

adjective

ˈgȯr-ē 

as in bloody

smeared or stained with blood

doesn't watch too many movies that feature gory violence

Synonyms & Similar Words

• bloody
• red
• reddish
• bloodstained
• crimson
• ruby
• carmine
• sanguinary
• sanguineous
• bloodred
• sanguine
• incarnadine

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective gory contrast with its synonyms?

The words bloody and sanguinary are common synonyms of gory. While all three words mean "affected by or involving the shedding of blood," gory suggests a profusion of blood and slaughter.

exceptionally gory, even for a horror movie

Where would bloody be a reasonable alternative to gory?

Although the words bloody and gory have much in common, bloody is applied especially to things that are actually covered with blood or are made up of blood.

bloody hands

When might sanguinary be a better fit than gory?

In some situations, the words sanguinary and gory are roughly equivalent. However, sanguinary applies especially to something attended by, or someone inclined to, bloodshed.

the Civil War was America's most sanguinary conflict

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of gory

That said, Kimble was asked to scale back one scene with the creature — an attack on a solider in episode two that turned out so gory, Hawley deemed it too much for even FX. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 13 June 2026

The killing of an East Village man and brutal stabbing of two others in a gory 2024 street fight resulted in an 18-year prison term for the knifeman at his Manhattan Supreme Court sentencing Tuesday. — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026

Fatekeeper is gritty, gory and unapologetically violent in a fantasy environment. — Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

And then there is a gory massacre scene from the original Camp Miasma, in which Little Death (played by TV Glow‘s Jack Haven) slaughters dozens of unlucky campers to a highly unusual, anachronistic hit song from the 1990s. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2026