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grisly (adj.)

Old English grislic (in compounds) "horrible, dreadful," from root of grisan "to shudder, fear," a general Germanic word (cognates: 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." See also gruesome, to which it probably is connected in some way. Related: Grisliness.

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Definitions of grisly from WordNet

grisly (adj.)
shockingly repellent; inspiring horror;
a grisly murder
Synonyms: ghastly / grim / gruesome / macabre / sick
From wordnet.princeton.edu