gruesome
Stomach-turningly awful
Gruesome describes something causing horror or disgust, especially through graphic violence or death: gruesome crime scene photos, the gruesome details of the murder.
The word suggests visceral revulsion—not just frightening but stomach-turning.
Something can be gruesomely fascinating, drawing attention even as it repels: We couldn't look away from the gruesome footage.
Causing extreme fear
- terrifyingEvoking extreme fear
- nightmarishFrightening like bad dreams
- monstrousFrighteningly huge or wicked
- hideousExtremely unpleasant to see
shocking · appalling · dreadful · repulsive · abominable · disgusting · revolting · grotesque
Intensely clear and bright
- explicitClearly and directly expressed
- detailedFull of specifics
- unflinchingRefusing to show fear
- realisticTrue to life
stark · brutal · raw · unsparing · visceral · lurid · sensationalized · gory
Disturbingly strange
- creepyDisturbingly strange
- chillingCausing fear or cold
- spookyUnsettlingly strange
- hauntingDisturbingly unforgettable
sinister · gothic · gloomy · foreboding · ominous · dark · spectral · ghoulish
Organic matter decomposing
- putridDecomposed and foul-smelling
- festeringBecoming infected, decaying
- decomposingOrganic matter breaking down
- decayingUndergoing organic breakdown
carrion · necrotic · gangrenous · bloated · corpse · cadaver · remains · putrefaction
horrifying
Causing extreme fear
- terrifyingEvoking extreme fear
- nightmarishFrightening like bad dreams
- monstrousFrighteningly huge or wicked
hideous · shocking · appalling · dreadful · repulsive · abominable · disgusting · revolting · grotesque · loathsome
vivid
Intensely clear and bright
- explicitClearly and directly expressed
- detailedFull of specifics
- unflinchingRefusing to show fear
realistic · stark · brutal · raw · unsparing · visceral · lurid · sensationalized · gory · bloody
eerie
Disturbingly strange
haunting · sinister · gothic · gloomy · foreboding · ominous · dark · spectral · ghoulish · sepulchral
rotting
Organic matter decomposing
- putridDecomposed and foul-smelling
- festeringBecoming infected, decaying
- decomposingOrganic matter breaking down
decaying · carrion · necrotic · gangrenous · bloated · corpse · cadaver · remains · putrefaction · stench
mutilated
Damaged by severing parts
- maimedPermanently injured or disfigured
- mangledSeverely disfigured or ruined
- deformedAbnormally shaped
scarred · disfigured · twisted · contorted · gnarled · ravaged · butchered · hacked · severed · dismembered
- horrorhorror, terror, fear, dread, haunted
- uglyugly, hideous, unsightly, grotesque, repulsive
- disgustdisgust, disgusting, disgusted, revulsion, repulsion
- fiercebrutal, violent, savage, ferocious, fierce
- scary feelingsterrified, frightening, dreadful, creepiness, goosebumps
- content ratingsMPAA, rating system, movie rating, movie ratings, TV ratings
gruesomebeautiful
Extremely pleasing aesthetically
pretty · lovely · attractive · gorgeous · appealing
gruesomecomforting
Giving emotional ease
pleasant · soothing · delightful · enjoyable · pleasurable