grisly¹

[griz-lee]

See more synonyms for grisly on Thesaurus.com

adjective, gris·li·er, gris·li·est.

causing a shudder or feeling of horror; horrible; gruesome: a grisly murder.
formidable; grim: a grisly countenance.

Origin of grisly¹

before 1150; Middle English; Old English grislīc horrible; cognate with Old High German grīsenlīh

Related formsgris·li·ness, noun

Can be confusedgrisly gristly grizzled grizzly

grisly²

[gris-lee]

adjective, gris·li·er, gris·li·est. Obsolete.

gristly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for grisly

Contemporary Examples

He admitted responsibility without hesitation, and in meticulous, grisly detail.
The Myth of the Central Park Five
Edward Conlon
October 19, 2014
These grisly images drew a huge audience, and allowed that audience to indulge in righteous indignation.
How the Media Failed to Nail the NFL
Steve Almond
October 19, 2014
In the wake of such a grisly screw up, it is tempting to play the blame game.
Mary Fallin’s Killer Fiasco
Michelle Cottle
May 1, 2014
The grisly footage obtained by BFMTV shows the French-speaking fighters arriving at a scene splayed with bodies.
French and Belgian Jihadists Boast About the Syrians They Slaughter
Tracy McNicoll
March 28, 2014
Christine Pelisek talks to the man examining the grisly finds.
The Bone Collectors Get to Work at Florida’s Dozier School
Christine Pelisek
September 6, 2013

Historical Examples

Swift on her part she paid him back with grisly grasp, and grappled with him.
Beowulf
Anonymous
So it might be, indeed, in a country where they were so plentiful, but it was not a grisly this time.
Two Arrows
William O. Stoddard
He had not been "treed," he had been bowldered, and the grisly had been arrowed and lanced thoroughly.
Two Arrows
William O. Stoddard
If he should slip there would be an end of it, for the grisly was close up now.
Two Arrows
William O. Stoddard
A grunt, a growl, a great lift, and the grisly was off the ground.
Two Arrows
William O. Stoddard

British Dictionary definitions for grisly

grisly¹

adjective -lier or -liest

causing horror or dread; gruesome

Derived Formsgrisliness, noun

Word Origin

Old English grislic; related to Old Frisian grislik, Old High German grīsenlīh

xref

See grizzly

grisly²

noun plural -lies

obsolete a variant spelling of grizzly

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 grisly

adj.

Old English grislic "horrible, dreadful," from root of grisan "to shudder, fear" (cf. Old Frisian grislik "horrible," Middle Dutch grisen "to shudder," Dutch griezelen, German grausen "to shudder, fear," Old High German grisenlik "horrible"), of unknown origin; Watkins connects it with the PIE root *ghrei- "to rub," on notion of "to grate on the mind." Cf. also gruesome, to which it probably is connected in some way.

grisly.css-pdubzd{font-size:17px;vertical-align:super;}1

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}grisly1

grisly2

Examples from the Web for grisly

Contemporary Examples

He admitted responsibility without hesitation, and in meticulous, grisly detail.

These grisly images drew a huge audience, and allowed that audience to indulge in righteous indignation.

In the wake of such a grisly screw up, it is tempting to play the blame game.

The grisly footage obtained by BFMTV shows the French-speaking fighters arriving at a scene splayed with bodies.

Christine Pelisek talks to the man examining the grisly finds.

Historical Examples

Swift on her part she paid him back with grisly grasp, and grappled with him.

So it might be, indeed, in a country where they were so plentiful, but it was not a grisly this time.

He had not been "treed," he had been bowldered, and the grisly had been arrowed and lanced thoroughly.

If he should slip there would be an end of it, for the grisly was close up now.

A grunt, a growl, a great lift, and the grisly was off the ground.

grisly1

Word Origin

xref

grisly2

Word Origin and History for grisly

adj.

grisly¹

Origin of grisly¹

grisly²

grisly¹

grisly²