as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
the police report described the murder scene in grisly detail
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Recent Examples of grisly
Market hunters of later days could tell grisly stories of waterfowl mowed down en masse.
—
Nash Buckingham, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025
Car was followed by The Hawk Is Dying (1973), The Gypsy’s Curse (1974), and A Feast of Snakes (1976), about another grisly spectacle, an annual rattlesnake-catching competition in the backwoods of Georgia.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The good news about season 3 taking us back in time is that many of those characters are likely to return, unaware of the grisly fates awaiting them.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 4 June 2025
The latest book finds Russo being called to a remote island off the coast of Ontario, where a grisly murder has taken place, according to the synopsis.
—Stephanie Guerilus, People.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for grisly
Nash Buckingham, Outdoor Life, 19 June 2025
Car was followed by The Hawk Is Dying (1973), The Gypsy’s Curse (1974), and A Feast of Snakes (1976), about another grisly spectacle, an annual rattlesnake-catching competition in the backwoods of Georgia.
—Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The good news about season 3 taking us back in time is that many of those characters are likely to return, unaware of the grisly fates awaiting them.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 4 June 2025
The latest book finds Russo being called to a remote island off the coast of Ontario, where a grisly murder has taken place, according to the synopsis.
—Stephanie Guerilus, People.com, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for grisly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grisly
Adjective
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But the gruesome truth remains — more than 120 are people are dead, including children.—
Bea L. Hines,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
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Other all-original haunted houses will include Jason Universe, which takes guests back to the summer camp where, one Friday the 13th, the gruesome legend was born.—
Tom Tapp,
Deadline,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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But the first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation in the aftermath of this really horrific and deadly flood.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
11 July 2025
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California homeowner’s insurance premiums were already rising before the horrific Southern California wildfires in January.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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In addition to all the shocking Prime Day finds on sale now, J.Crew Factory is stepping up and dropping prices.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
People.com,
9 July 2025
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All those TikToks sharing the most important news of the week, or the Instagram influencers reacting to a shocking headline, or the YouTubers making video essays analyzing current events — all of these could not exist without the labor and specialized knowledge of journalists.—
Reia Li,
AZCentral.com,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grisly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grisly. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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