variants also grewsome

Synonym Chooser

How is the word gruesome different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of gruesome are ghastly, grisly, lurid, and macabre. While all these words mean "horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect," grisly and gruesome suggest additionally the results of extreme violence or cruelty.

an unusually grisly murder
suffered a gruesome death

Where would ghastly be a reasonable alternative to gruesome?

The words ghastly and gruesome can be used in similar contexts, but ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

How do lurid and gruesome relate to one another?

Lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder.

the lurid details of a crime

When can macabre be used instead of gruesome?

While the synonyms macabre and gruesome are close in meaning, macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.

a macabre tale of premature burial

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of gruesome In September 2024, Israel blew up the group’s pagers, causing gruesome injuries as the devices detonated in Hezbollah operatives’ pockets. Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025 Overall, the 86 is a modern mecha anime classic and harks back to the likes of Armored Trooper VOTOMS, albeit with a darker and more gruesome twist. Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025 His anguished mother insisted on an open-casket ceremony to show the world the gruesome cruelty of lynching. Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025 My dad was the superintendent of schools in that town at the time, and the media's appetite for the gruesome details was insatiable. Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for gruesome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gruesome
Adjective
  • An initial report of a paralyzed kitten being thrown down a staircase led police in Northern Ohio to a home where officers reported finding 13 young children living in horrific conditions.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
  • But, really, does enough training exist that would prepare anyone for such a horrific emergency?
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But that spring, my mental health wasn’t in a good place thanks to the volatile combination of two years of pandemic lockdown, switching my antidepressants, my undiagnosed ADHD and a horrible case of writer's block.
    Alison Cochrun, People.com, 31 Aug. 2025
  • The Succession Wars took a much darker turn thanks to the development of not just Battlemechs but of horrible flesh and steel monsters called abominations.
    Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The impressive amount of hair on the top of his head owes everything to United’s shocking results on the field.
    Don Riddell, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Seeing the Packers miss the playoffs would be a shocking outcome for the 2025 season.
    Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Overall, this wasn’t a terrible episode, but having our heroes start in the UK and then end up in Spain in the first episode felt rushed and wasteful.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Both men are good, both men are bad and both men have made terrible mistakes.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But for the rest of us mere mortals, the idea of stepping into an ice bath for 10 minutes a day is awful.
    Big Think, Big Think, 3 Sep. 2025
  • And then these families are in this awful position.
    Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Thunderstorms and lightning, very very frightening.
    Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Since the release of 2013's The Conjuring, the frightening franchise has generally lost steam at the box office.
    Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gruesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gruesome. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on gruesome

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