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 the wake of the gruesome shootings of two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers and their spouses, Lee took to social media. S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025 So prepare for more gruesome kills, more gross-outs, more insight into how a society might actually look a generation after an unfathomable event. Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 18 June 2025 The Many Deaths of Bloodlines – featurette From the collapse of the Skyview Restaurant to the world’s worst MRI, get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the most gruesome Final Destination deaths yet! Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025 The gruesome nature of her death, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding it, would become one of the city’s most infamous unsolved murders. Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for gruesome
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gruesome
Adjective
  • Throughout the Holocaust, the Nazis concentrated European Jews in urban ghettos, which were marked by horrific living conditions, forced labor and the threat of execution.
    Tom Dreisbach, NPR, 30 June 2025
  • And that's a tough sell to a jury that spent weeks listening to horrific testimony about Diddy and his empire.
    Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 29 June 2025
Adjective
  • To be able to say that so many writers have been meaningful to you is not a horrible thing.
    John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2025
  • If Flagg develops into the human triple double who leads the team to the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals in his first six years, the trade can be called not a horrible deal.
    Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2025
Adjective
  • The Paris heavyweight routed Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their Club World Cup opening game, suffered a shocking 1-0 upset by Brazilian club Botafogo in their second match, and then beat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 to clinch first place in the group.
    Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 27 June 2025
  • The 6-foot-7 forward will join Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis with the Mavericks, who are looking to turn around the franchise following the shocking midseason trade of Luka Dončić in February.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • Rarely great, and consistently cringey in that NHL way we’re used to by now, but rarely terrible.
    Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 28 June 2025
  • Gi-hun is left with a terrible choice: kill the baby and survive, or sacrifice himself so that the baby can live.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 27 June 2025
Adjective
  • What’s more, the Steelers failed to score a first-drive touchdown all season, were awful in the red zone, were awful on first down, and mostly awful in short yardage.
    Tribune Content Agency, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 June 2025
  • Outcomes for what’s referred to as ‘children in care’ remain unacceptably awful.
    Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Adjective
  • Which isn’t to say that the film isn’t frightening.
    Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2025
  • The fumes are certainly easier to ignore or deny than the visceral, immediate violence of serial murder—which is much rarer, and yet, for many, much more frightening.
    Sarah Weinman, The Atlantic, 18 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Gruesome.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gruesome. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.

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