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
But charging records describe how the case came to be filed, 16 years after a man made a grisly discovery in a Parkside Apartments’ dumpster.
—
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 2 July 2025
The grisly killings sparked a weeks-long manhunt for a suspect, Bryan Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University at the time.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 1 July 2025
Erik, 54, and Lyle, 57, have spent the last 35 years behind bars for the grisly killings inside the family’s mansion.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grisly
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 2 July 2025
The grisly killings sparked a weeks-long manhunt for a suspect, Bryan Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student at nearby Washington State University at the time.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 1 July 2025
Erik, 54, and Lyle, 57, have spent the last 35 years behind bars for the grisly killings inside the family’s mansion.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 25 Apr. 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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Family recounts parents' efforts to save children The family of the two children who died in the flooding recounted in a GoFundMe page the horrific moment floodwaters swept the young siblings away and the desperate attempt by their parents to save their lives.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
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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Bonnie came to her father's defense in May 2020 after Chapman shared the shocking news of his engagement to girlfriend Francie just 10 months after Beth’s death.—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
21 July 2025
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In a TikTok video, mother Mackenzie Dodd summed up the whiplash of noticing something minor about her newborn baby, only to discover a shocking diagnosis.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Grisly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grisly. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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