gruesome

== English == === Etymology === From grue (“(archaic except Northern England, Scotland) to be frightened; to shudder with fear”) +‎ -some (suffix meaning ‘characterized by some specific condition or quality, usually to a considerable degree’ forming adjectives and nouns), probably popularized by the Scottish novelist and poet Walter Scott (1771–1832): see, for example, the 1816 quotation. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɡɹuːsəm/, /ˈɡɹuːsm̩/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɡɹusəm/ Rhymes: -uːsəm Hyphenation: grue‧some === Adjective === gruesome (comparative gruesomer or more gruesome, superlative gruesomest or most gruesome) Repellently frightful and shocking; ghastly, horrific. Synonyms: grisly, horrible; see also Thesaurus:frightening Antonym: ungruesome (informal, loosely) Awful, terrible. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:bad Antonyms: see Thesaurus:good (archaic, rare) Of a person: filled with fear; afraid, fearful. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:afraid Antonyms: see Thesaurus:unafraid ==== Alternative forms ==== grewsome (obsolete, 19th c.) ==== Derived terms ==== gruesomely gruesomeness gruesome twosome ungruesome ==== Translations ==== === References ===