grisly

adjective

ˈgriz-lē How to pronounce grisly (audio)
Definition of grislynext
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent the police report described the murder scene in grisly detail

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word grisly different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of grisly are ghastly, gruesome, 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

When is ghastly a more appropriate choice than grisly?

Although the words ghastly and grisly have much in common, ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

How do lurid and gruesome relate to one another, in the sense of grisly?

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

the lurid details of a crime

When might macabre be a better fit than grisly?

While the synonyms macabre and grisly 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 grisly Prior to her grisly murder, Abby had married Lizzie’s father, Andrew, two years after his wife and Lizzie’s mother died, according to Biography. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026 Both Republicans unloaded on Cooper's tenure as governor, with Trump blaming Cooper for a grisly North Carolina murder and accusing him of doing nothing to help the state after Hurricane Helene inflicted widespread damage in 2024. — Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026 In a house that saw two grisly murders, and is supposedly haunted. — Steve Belanger, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026 After enduring a harrowing court proceeding in July that laid bare the grisly details of their daughter’s death, the parents of Celeste Rivas Hernandez are suing singer D4vd for wrongful death and accusing his mother and managers of negligence. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for grisly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grisly
  1. gruesome
  2. horrific
  3. shocking
Adjective
  • Among protesters, particularly gruesome wounds suffered by some teenagers have been blamed on police riot-control weapons.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Mars Attacks, released in 1962, was a huge hit with kids, though many parents objected to the gruesome artwork of Martians eviscerating Earthlings.
    — Bob Woods, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of gruesome
Adjective
  • There’s a slickness to the carnage that rubs uncomfortably against the film’s humanist ethos, rendering artificial (for all Shen Teng’s trembling and mouth-contorting labors) the horrific tragedies that befall its characters.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • What happened to you was horrific, and there is nothing that any of us can say today that will make this any easier.
    — Eric Mack, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of horrific
Adjective
  • The series is notorious for its shocking plot twists (many of which bring dramatic, fatal ends to important characters).
    — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Bajaria is said to have attended the town hall that Head of Scripted, UCAN Jinny Howe held Wednesday afternoon amid the layoffs, making her exit today feel abrupt and shocking to staffers.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of shocking

Browse Nearby Words

grisliness
grisly
grist
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Grisly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grisly. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All