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grisly and grizzly - the difference




Grisly means 'horrible'.
Grizzly is a bear from North America.
 

The words 'grisly' and 'grizzly' sound similar, but their meanings are quite different.

Grisly

The adjective 'grisly' means 'horrible', 'shockingly repellent', 'terrifying' or 'gruesome'.

Examples:

In the grisly climax to the South Park episode, the kids try to rescue Chef, but he falls off a bridge into a ravine, where he is impaled on a tree trunk and mauled by wild animals.

A convicted killer was today found guilty of a second murder, betrayed by his grisly habit of cutting off his victims' breasts.

The police spokesman told the reporters that they had uncovered some grisly clues in the missing-girl case.

Grizzly

The words 'grizzly' (used as a noun or adjective) refers to a powerful brownish-yellow bear found in the uplands of western North America.  It can be called either a 'grizzly' (plural: grizzlies) or a 'grizzly bear'.

Avoid grizzly bears. If you get caught off guard by a grizzly, and it decides to attack you, shoot it in the heart. If you do not have a gun and you cannot get away, tuck into a tight ball or play dead. However, if the grizzly is intent on you being its next meal, fight back with everything you've got.

Pictures of grizzly bears amusing themselves in the river make them seem cute and innocent, but they are extremely dangerous.

Many Forest Service employees have laid their jobs on the line to prevent the destruction and fragmentation of the prime habitat for grisly bears.
(should be grizzly)
  

       avoid grizzly bears
  or admire from a distance

Select the correct version:



 
OTHER SIMILAR WORDS

'Grizzled' means 'having gray hairs'.

'Gristly' means 'full of gristle' (usually when referring to meat).

See also:

What are adjectives?
What are nouns?
List of easily confused words

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