gruesome

[groo-suh m] /ˈgru səm/

adjective

causing great horror; horribly repugnant; grisly:

the site of a gruesome murder.

full of or causing problems; distressing:

a gruesome day at the office.

Also, grewsome.

Origin

1560-70; obsolete grue to shudder (cognate with German grauen, Dutch gruwen) + -some¹

Related forms

gruesomely, adverb

gruesomeness, noun

ungruesome, adjective

Examples from the web for gruesome

The injury was one of the most gruesome in recent memory.
It is a gripping story from beginning to gruesome end, filled with drama, intrigue and love affairs.
That gory swamp is a gruesome grove.
Yet in between gruesome scenes lie passages of calm, reflective beauty: Wrath and love burn only like the campfires.
The images are gruesome, yet grainy and amateurish.
Avoiding gruesome odors is a first line of defense against phantosmia.
It was a gruesome experience.
The scenes of carnage were particularly gruesome.
But it doesn't make this any less gruesome of course.
When you encounter folks who are so poverty-stricken, it's a gruesome option for them but it is an option.

British Dictionary definitions for gruesome

gruesome

/ˈɡruːsəm/

adjective

inspiring repugnance and horror; ghastly

Derived Forms

gruesomely, adverb
gruesomeness, noun

Word Origin

C16: originally Northern English and Scottish; see grue, -some1

Word Origin and History for gruesome

adj.

1560s, with -some (1) + Middle English gruen "feel horror, shudder" (c.1300); not recorded in Old English or Norse, possibly from Middle Dutch gruwen or Middle Low German gruwen "shudder with fear" (cf. German grausam "cruel"), or from a Scandinavian source (cf. Danish grusom "cruel," grue "to dread," though others hold that these are Low German loan-words). One of the many Scottish words popularized in England by Scott's novels.