grisly
adjective
D. H. Lawrence
Did you know?
An angry grizzly bear could certainly inspire fear, so grizzly and grisly must be related, right? Grizzly comes from the Middle English adjective grisel, meaning "gray." Like its close relative grizzled, grizzly means "sprinkled or streaked with gray." In other words, the grizzly bear got its name because the hairs of its brownish to buff coat usually have silver or pale tips, creating a grizzled effect, not because it causes terror. Grisly is related to Old English grislic, which comes from a verb meaning "to fear" and which gives grisly its "terrifying" sense.
Synonyms
- appalling
- atrocious
- awful
- dreadful
- frightful
- ghastly
- gruesome
- grewsome
- hideous
- horrendous
- horrible
- horrid
- horrific
- horrifying
- lurid
- macabre
- monstrous
- nightmare
- nightmarish
- shocking
- terrible
- terrific
Example Sentences
Fox News, 9 Sep. 2022 German, a 69-year-old reporter with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was found dead outside his home Saturday morning with stab wounds, a grisly end to a career dedicated to uncovering the truth in the Vegas area. Eric Levenson, CNN, 9 Sep. 2022 And newish associate Carmen Moyo, who was introduced last season (Charmaine Bingwa) continues to be more than willing to represent high-end clients who are likely guilty of the grisly crimes of which they are accused. Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 High-profile espionage cases in the post-war period often invoke the grisly fate of the Rosenbergs, the first U.S. citizens to be convicted and executed by electric chair for sharing atomic secrets with the Soviet Union in peace time. Manori Ravindran, Variety, 1 Sep. 2022 At the height of the show’s finale, in which Eddie meets a grisly fate and is summarily forgotten by the plot, one enterprising creator dedicated a ballad to the late Stranger Things loner. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2022 There was fear among fans that Kim Wexler, Jimmy’s ex-wife, would see a grisly end. Mike Sacks, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2022 The grisly passages are countered by scenes with the Pages’ endearing extended family, and by dialogue that bristles with spiky wit. Tom Nolan, WSJ, 12 Aug. 2022 Castro began to spread the false rumor about Arita Triminio around the time he was taken to Escobar Mendez’s burial site and shown a grisly video of his killing, according to his testimony. Salvador Rizzo, Washington Post, 2 July 2022 See More Word History
Middle English, from Old English grislic, from gris- (akin to Old English āgrīsan to fear); akin to Old High German grīsenlīh terrible
12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
grisly
adjective
grisly
adjective
Synonyms & Similar Words
- gruesome
- horrific
- shocking
- horrifying
- horrible
- frightening
- terrifying
- nightmare
- terrible
- macabre
- terrific
- dreadful
- hideous
- ghastly
- nightmarish
- awful
- scary
- appalling
- horrid
- sickening
- lurid
- frightful
- monstrous
- horrendous
- atrocious
- disgusting
- alarming
- grewsome
- grotesque
- fearful
- intimidating
- ugly
- revolting
- obscene
- heinous
- loathsome
- dire
- direful
- formidable
- bloodcurdling
- unspeakable
- fearsome
- repulsive
- gut-wrenching
- abominable
- offensive
- repugnant
- forbidding
- abhorrent
- nauseating
- hair-raising
- odious
- vile
- deplorable
- disagreeable
- distasteful
- heart-stopping
- evil
- obnoxious
- redoubtable
- noxious
- unsightly
- noisome
- foul
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- pleasant
- delightful
- delicious
- attractive
- satisfying
- appealing
- enjoyable
- delectable
- pleasurable
- enticing
- agreeable
- pleasing
- welcome
- inviting
- comforting
- soothing
- cheering
Synonym Chooser
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.
Although the words ghastly and grisly have much in common, ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.
Lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder.
While the synonyms macabre and grisly are close in meaning, macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.