Thesaurus results for GORY

Q: How does the adjective 'gory' contrast with its synonyms?

The words bloody and sanguinary are common synonyms of gory . While all three words mean "affected by or involving the shedding of blood," gory suggests a profusion of blood and slaughter. // exceptionally gory , even for a horror movie

Q: Where would 'bloody' be a reasonable alternative to 'gory'?

Although the words bloody and gory have much in common, bloody is applied especially to things that are actually covered with blood or are made up of blood. // bloody hands

Q: When might 'sanguinary' be a better fit than 'gory'?

In some situations, the words sanguinary and gory are roughly equivalent. However, sanguinary applies especially to something attended by, or someone inclined to, bloodshed. // the Civil War was America's most sanguinary conflict

gory

adjective

ˈgȯr-ē

Definition of gory next

as in bloody

smeared or stained with blood doesn't watch too many movies that feature gory violence

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the adjective gory contrast with its synonyms?

The words bloody and sanguinary are common synonyms of gory. While all three words mean "affected by or involving the shedding of blood," gory suggests a profusion of blood and slaughter.

exceptionally gory, even for a horror movie

Where would bloody be a reasonable alternative to gory?

Although the words bloody and gory have much in common, bloody is applied especially to things that are actually covered with blood or are made up of blood.

bloody hands

When might sanguinary be a better fit than gory?

In some situations, the words sanguinary and gory are roughly equivalent. However, sanguinary applies especially to something attended by, or someone inclined to, bloodshed.

the Civil War was America's most sanguinary conflict

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of gory The horror film serves as a gory allegory for the evils that persisted in the South in the Jim Crow era in the late 19th century and onward. —

Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026 Distracting from the void at its core are the extremely gory kills, splashed with pixelized blood and guts that are indeed successful in making an audience squirm. —

Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 27 Feb. 2026 Rogers has one of his favorite scenes with Malcolm McDowell, where the Slasher unleashes a gory massacre with his axe during an orgy at the Maryland mansion of a wealthy Satanist (McDowell). —

Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026 Cathy has a miscarriage (a very bloody, gory image from Fennell) and dies from sepsis. —

Meg Walters, Glamour, 16 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for gory

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gory

Adjective

That year, marked by the suicide bombings of the second intifada, was tense and bloody.

— Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
The liquid ranged from clear to cloudy to bloody.

— Jillian Wager, Glamour, 30 Mar. 2026

Definition of bloody

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gormlessness

gory

gosh

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“Gory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gory. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

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Synonyms of gory

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