gruesome

adjective

grue·​some ˈgrü-səm 

variants or less commonly grewsome

: inspiring horror or repulsion : grisly

gruesome stories of wounded comrades

gruesomely adverb

gruesomeness noun

Synonyms

• appalling
• atrocious
• awful
• dreadful
• frightful
• ghastly
• grisly
• hideous
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrid
• horrific
• horrifying
• lurid
• macabre
• monstrous
• nightmare
• nightmarish
• shocking
• terrible
• terrific

Choose the Right Synonym for gruesome

ghastly, grisly, gruesome, macabre, lurid mean horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect.

ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

grisly and gruesome suggest additionally the results of extreme violence or cruelty.

an unusually grisly murder

suffered a gruesome death

macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.

a macabre tale of premature burial

lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder.

the lurid details of a crime

Examples of gruesome in a Sentence

The police report described the scene in gruesome detail.

didn't stick around to hear the gruesome details of the car accident

Recent Examples on the Web

Watkins immediately received a flood of support on social media after the gruesome injury, as athletes and analysts from around the sports world chimed in with well wishes. —Sean Neumann, People.com, 28 Mar. 2025

The behemoth abode sits on the infamous site of the gruesome 1969 Manson murders, though the original home was bulldozed in the ’90s. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2025

Following the gruesome discovery, an arrest warrant was issued for Jones, charging him with murder. —Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025

More recently, Episode 4 ended with Muse lugging a man into a gruesome lair of sorts, to extract an unhealthy amount of blood from a femoral artery. —Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier growsome, from English dialect grow, grue to shiver, from Middle English gruen, probably from Middle Dutch grūwen; akin to Old High German ingrūēn to shiver

First Known Use

circa 1700, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

gruesome

adjective

grue·​some ˈgrü-səm 

: causing horror or disgust : horrible

gruesomely adverb

gruesomeness noun