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 The horror movie allowed for a variety of gruesome deaths, which was intriguing to director David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation). Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 29 July 2025 This intro echos that of its source material, which also opens on a young boy’s gruesome death at the hands of Pennywise. Rance Collins, IndieWire, 27 July 2025 But with Cabrera down after suffering a gruesome leg injury, the Yankees are in desperate need of a third baseman. Zach Pressnell, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 July 2025 After all, how solid can any of the linemen be given the collapsing pockets in front of Caleb Williams and Justin Fields? To make matters more precarious for Jones, the 310-pound tackle broke his left fibula in gruesome fashion last December, forcing him to be carted off at Soldier Field. Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 18 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for gruesome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gruesome
Adjective
  • But Indy got hit with a two-by-four with Tyrese Haliburton’s horrific Achilles tear in the first quarter of Game 7 of the finals.
    David Aldridge, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
  • In the end, the book circles back to the Jewish search for a home after the catastrophe of World War II and, in just a few potent pages, the consequent suffering of the Palestinians, magnified by the current horrific destruction underway in Gaza.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • The sandwich, featuring ground meat—generally beef—suspended in a thick, sweet tomatoey sauce, has become an avatar of the horrible school lunch, a cliché that tends to go along with hairnets, greasy aprons, and other elements of canteen grotesquerie.
    Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2025
  • The stories have overflowed with a horrible, glorious narrative abundance.
    Lyz Lenz, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Perhaps the biggest moment was her shocking termination as principal, which not only upset her fictional colleagues but also viewers.
    Giana Levy, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025
  • In a shocking turn of events, Weems is Wednesday’s new spirit guide, or figure from beyond death who will help Wednesday with her psychic visions.
    Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • While the latter is known for its legendarily terrible English localization, both of these were highly innovative horizontal scrolling shmups for their time.
    Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Whether your team is in the middle of a winning run or mired in terrible form, five minutes looking at the standings can convince you that a hundred different futures are possible.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Don’t rely on an aesthetic that most people can easily see is awful.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025
  • Traveling down a dirt road in the park, the men heard the awful sound of a tire on the RV going flat.
    Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
  • Trump’s project has emboldened ICE agents in frightening ways, too.
    Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2025
  • Her treatment began on May 20, 2024 at Michiana Hematology Oncology in Mishawaka, Indiana, but immediately took a frightening turn.
    Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gruesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gruesome. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on gruesome

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