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

But the fear that Bacon has gathered everyone for something indulgent is quickly disabused in the silly and gory comedy where the fun all are having on screen extends to those who aren’t directly related. —Stephen Saito, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026

Matrimony is murder in director Jorma Taccone‘s gory marital dark comedy Over Your Dead Body, which made its world premiere Saturday at SXSW. —Glenn Garner, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2026

The horror film serves as a gory allegory for the evils that persisted in the South in the Jim Crow era in the late 19th century and onward. —Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026

Distracting from the void at its core are the extremely gory kills, splashed with pixelized blood and guts that are indeed successful in making an audience squirm. —Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026