as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
the police report described the murder scene in grisly detail
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Recent Examples of grisly
Son Brendan was murdered with a chainsaw on Richie Stevenson’s orders while Seraphina screamed for mercy next to her half-brother; Richie had a livestream of the grisly event sent to Maeve’s phone.
—
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 11 May 2025
Meanwhile, Charlie consults with Paige from set dec, who confirms that the team cleaned up the grisly mess at the house earlier that day.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 May 2025
The last three episodes of the series dramatically up the ante as the E.R. copes with hundreds of grisly victims of a mass shooter.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 8 May 2025
In theory the family are entitled to 5 million rubles – and bizarrely enough, Russian officials even give gifts of meat grinders to the mothers of troops killed in action as grisly recognition of their sacrifice -- but payment is often withheld.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for grisly
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 11 May 2025
Meanwhile, Charlie consults with Paige from set dec, who confirms that the team cleaned up the grisly mess at the house earlier that day.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 May 2025
The last three episodes of the series dramatically up the ante as the E.R. copes with hundreds of grisly victims of a mass shooter.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 8 May 2025
In theory the family are entitled to 5 million rubles – and bizarrely enough, Russian officials even give gifts of meat grinders to the mothers of troops killed in action as grisly recognition of their sacrifice -- but payment is often withheld.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for grisly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grisly
Adjective
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It was later discovered he had been killed in a gruesome attack that U.S. intelligence says was ordered by the country's de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
16 May 2025
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But the rich emotional depth of that film is matched in Bring Her Back, a horror movie that delights in gruesome practical effects but also presents a nuanced character study, with little judgement passed on its bereaved antagonist, Laura.—
Madison Bloom,
Pitchfork,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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Abuse Of Power: Season 1 (May 19) Long-running ID series American Monster enters a new chapter with Abuse of Power, a long-form series that takes on cases where horrific crimes and scandals were covered up and disposed of by authority figures.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
16 May 2025
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Sheriff’s officials released footage that showed the horrific attack.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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During a text exchange afterwards, Hanley asked Sobule if the New York experience was shocking.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
9 May 2025
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May 5, 2025: Leo attends his first Met Gala (which is kind of shocking in and of itself) alongside Ceretti, who made her Met Gala debut in 2021.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grisly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grisly. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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