D. H. Lawrence
Did you know?
An angry grizzly bear could certainly inspire fear, so grizzly and grisly must be related, right? Grizzly comes from the Middle English adjective grisel, meaning "gray." Like its close relative grizzled, grizzly means "sprinkled or streaked with gray." In other words, the grizzly bear got its name because the hairs of its brownish to buff coat usually have silver or pale tips, creating a grizzled effect, not because it causes terror. Grisly is related to Old English grislic, which comes from a verb meaning "to fear" and which gives grisly its "terrifying" sense.
Examples of grisly in a Sentence
Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 8 May 2025
The last three episodes of the series dramatically up the ante as the E.R. copes with hundreds of grisly victims of a mass shooter.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 8 May 2025
In theory the family are entitled to 5 million rubles – and bizarrely enough, Russian officials even give gifts of meat grinders to the mothers of troops killed in action as grisly recognition of their sacrifice -- but payment is often withheld.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025
Archaeologists discover proof of grisly gladiator-lion clash in unexpected tourist destination.
—FOXNews.com, 5 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for grisly
Cite this Entry
“Grisly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grisly. Accessed 18 May. 2025.
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