gruesome

gruesome — adjective

1. very unpleasant and shocking, especially because it involves blood, injury, or d

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

very unpleasant and shocking, especially because it involves blood, injury, or death

Example

The crime scene photos showed gruesome details that made the jury look away.

collocation: gruesome details

Ravi could not sleep after seeing gruesome images of the car crash online.

collocation: gruesome images

Common collocations
  • gruesome murder
  • gruesome details
  • gruesome scene
  • gruesome discovery
  • gruesome images
  • gruesome death
  • gruesome accident
  • gruesome sight
Synonyms
  • grisly

    very similar; 'grisly' can also carry a sense of disgust, while 'gruesome' emphasises shock

  • ghastly

    broader — can mean 'causing great fear' or simply 'very pale'; less tied to blood and injury

  • macabre

    more intellectual or artistic; suggests a disturbing fascination with death rather than the shock of real violence

  • horrific

    broader — covers any extremely shocking event, not specifically death or injury

Antonyms
  • pleasant

    the opposite of shocking or unpleasant

  • peaceful

    contrasts with the violent connotations of gruesome

Usage Note

Typically describes scenes, images, or accounts that involve physical violence, blood, or death. It is not used for general unpleasantness — for example, 'a gruesome exam' or 'gruesome weather' sound unnatural.

Common Mistakes

The food at the cafeteria was gruesome.
The news report described a gruesome accident on the highway.
'gruesome' is only used about shocking, violent scenes involving blood, injury, or death, not about unpleasant tastes or experiences.

Word family

  • gruesomely
    adverbC1
  • gruesomeness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Grisly is the closest to gruesome, but it leans more toward repulsive disgust (grisly remains) while gruesome emphasises visceral shock. Ghastly can mean 'causing great fear' but also describes paleness or illness (ghastly appearance), making it less specific to violence. Macabre has an intellectual or artistic quality — it suggests a disturbing fascination with death rather than the shock of real injury. Horrific is the broadest of the four: it covers any extremely shocking event (horrific accident, horrific weather) and lacks the specific 'blood and death' connotation. For example: 'The documentary showed gruesome footage from the battlefield' — use horrific for the broader tragedy, grisly for the disgust, and gruesome for the raw, shocking violence.

grislyghastlymacabrehorrific

Etymology

ScotsMiddle DutchEnglish

Gruesome comes from an old Scots word 'grue' meaning 'to feel horror or shudder', combined with the suffix '-some' (causing a particular quality). It has been used in English since the late 1500s.