- inspiring repugnance and horror; ghastly
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
grue•some /ˈgrusəm/USA pronunciation
adj.
grue•some•ness, n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- causing horror and disgust:a gruesome murder.
grue•some•ness, n. [uncountable]
grue•some
(gro̅o̅′səm),USA pronunciation adj.
grue′some•ly, adv.
grue′some•ness, n.
- causing great horror;
horribly repugnant;
grisly:the site of a gruesome murder. - full of or causing problems;
distressing:a gruesome day at the office.
- obsolete grue to shudder (cognate with German grauen, Dutch gruwen) + -some1 1560–70
grue′some•ness, n.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
gruesome /ˈɡruːsəm/ adj
'gruesome' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bloodthirsty
- Brueghel
- grisly
- macabre
- morbid
- chamber of horrors
- frightful
- grewsome
- grim
- lurid
- sick
- splatter film