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
Her face was also bruised and cut, with a grisly slash running from each side of her mouth.
—
Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Two of the daughter’s classmates had discovered the grisly mayhem; at the time of writing, no suspect had been identified.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Give the filmmakers props for shooting much of this in-camera rather than CGI, and also for the realistic grisly performance of the actor in the all-purpose monkey suit, Miguel Torres Umba.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
Braddy was convicted and sentenced to death at his trial nine years after the grisly crime.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grisly
Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026
Two of the daughter’s classmates had discovered the grisly mayhem; at the time of writing, no suspect had been identified.
—Literary Hub, 12 Jan. 2026
Give the filmmakers props for shooting much of this in-camera rather than CGI, and also for the realistic grisly performance of the actor in the all-purpose monkey suit, Miguel Torres Umba.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026
Braddy was convicted and sentenced to death at his trial nine years after the grisly crime.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for grisly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grisly
Adjective
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And Margot Robbie gives the character a sharpness, an agency that’s a relief from the wilting Catherines of yore — which actually makes her ultimate gruesome fate feel that much more tragic.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
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Prisoners endured frequent selections, some by Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, known for his gruesome experiments on camp inmates.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Pregnancy was an offense punishable by death in the camps, yet all three women managed to survive horrific conditions, give birth and keep their newborns alive through seemingly impossible twists of fate and luck.—
Lesley Stahl,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
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His cinema verite style powerfully exposed the horrific inhumanity of public institutions (like hospitals, schools and housing projects) supposedly created to help people.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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This shocking ignorance and insensitivity by Ocasio-Cortez should rule her out of any potential presidential bid or other high office.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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Viewers barely have time to register what’s in front of them before there’s another shocking accusation, revelation, or character detail.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grisly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grisly. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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