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

• horrific
• horrible
• shocking
• terrible
• awful
• frightening

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

After the gruesome discovery, Decker’s truck was found June 2, abandoned in the area of Rock Island Campground. —Holly Yan, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025

What if Jack the Ripper made his way to Mexico to continue his gruesome killings? —Veronica Villafañe, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

But other prominent cases involving gruesome crimes and young defendants have seen a different outcome. —Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 18 Sep. 2025

According to the tabloid, law enforcement is in search of video footage that can identify the last driver of the sports car, which was abandoned in the Hollywood Hills before being towed, leading to the gruesome discovery. —Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 18 Sep. 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