as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
the police report described the murder scene in grisly detail
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 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
-
Throughout the last two days, Ivey centered himself in faith and gratitude — two grounding principles for a player whose career was derailed in January 2025 by a gruesome leg injury.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The 16th century eponymous Danish princess (voiced by Mana Ashida) loses her father, King Amleth (Masachika Ichimura), to a gruesome betrayal.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Hall said his mother’s final moments replay on a horrific loop in his head.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Jacquelyn’s attorney, Andrew Nebenzahl, said the company has ignored horrific crashes and entrapments.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman entered the city’s crowded mayoral race on Saturday, marking a shocking and last-minute move to challenge longtime ally Mayor Karen Bass after previously endorsing the mayor.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Feb. 2026
-
What began with the unconstitutional targeting of law firms, universities, and non-partisan civil servants has advanced to ICE’s shocking and deadly street-level assaults.—
Chris Mattei,
Hartford Courant,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grisly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grisly. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
