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grisly

2 syllables · also grislier, grisliest
adjectiveadverb
Quick answer

As an adjective, grisly means horrifyingly repellent.

Meanings of grisly

3 meanings

adjective

  1. Horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying.

    “The photographs of the killings depict a grisly scene.”

  2. Shockingly repellent; inspiring horror

    “ghastly wounds”

    “the grim aftermath of the bombing”

    “the grim task of burying the victims”

    Similar: ghastly, grim, gruesome, macabre, sick

Obsolete form of grizzly.
Misspelling of gristly.

noun

Obsolete form of grizzly ("type of bear").

adverb

  1. obsoleteIn a horrible or terrible manner; in a terrifying way.

Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).

Synonyms by meaning

adjective: shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
ghastlygrimgruesomemacabresick

Words that rhyme with grisly

grizzlydrizzly

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Nearby words

gripgripegripinggrippedgrippergrippinggristgristlegritgritsgrittygrizzle