grisly
1 Americanadjective
-
causing a shudder or feeling of horror; horrible; gruesome.
a grisly murder.
-
formidable; grim.
a grisly countenance.
adjective
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- grisliness noun
Etymology
Origin of grisly
before 1150; Middle English; Old English grislīc horrible; cognate with Old High German grīsenlīh
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Elizabeth Short’s death was notorious and grisly,” Mann says.
From Los Angeles Times
It’s not as grisly, but it’s equally cruel.
From Los Angeles Times
He glanced behind him, where even mad, even feet away from a grisly death at the hands of the MGM lion, Clara was beautiful enough to momentarily stop his heart.
From Literature
England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Richard Thompson and chief executive Richard Gould have been in Sydney to see the grisly ending.
From BBC
The grisly truth for the prime minister is that many of his colleagues believe he's not very good at his job.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
