grewsome

[ groo-suh m ]

/ ˈgru səm /

adjective

gruesome.

Nearby words

Related formsgrew·some·ly, adverbgrew·some·ness, noun

gruesome

or grew·some

[ 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.

Origin of gruesome

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

Related formsgrue·some·ly, adverbgrue·some·ness, nounun·grue·some, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for grewsome

Here the writing ceased abruptly, and the letter ended with its grewsome secret still untold.
Her Dark Inheritance|Mrs. E. Burke Collins
Thus it was that no detail of grewsome horror was lacking to make the shocking tale of the destruction of St. Pierre complete.
Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror|Richard Linthicum
The play was horrible and grewsome enough, but as produced by him, it gave a strong man nightmare for days afterwards.
Face to Face with Kaiserism|James W. Gerard
The ship sprung a leak; and the grewsome sound of the pumps mingled with the roar of the waves, and the shrieking of the winds.
The Naval History of the United States|Willis J. Abbot.

The coast seemed clear, and they darted out and deposited their grewsome burden on the grass.
The Campaign of the Jungle|Edward Stratemeyer

British Dictionary definitions for grewsome

grewsome

/ (ˈɡruːsəm) /

adjective

an archaic or US spelling of gruesome

gruesome

/ (ˈɡruːsəm) /

adjective

inspiring repugnance and horror; ghastly

Derived Formsgruesomely, adverbgruesomeness, noun

Word Origin for gruesome

C16: originally Northern English and Scottish; see grue, -some 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for grewsome

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.