Synonym Chooser

How is the word macabre different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of macabre are ghastly, grisly, gruesome, and lurid. While all these words mean "horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect," macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.

a macabre tale of premature burial

When would ghastly be a good substitute for macabre?

The synonyms ghastly and macabre are sometimes interchangeable, but ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

How are the words grisly and gruesome related as synonyms of macabre?

Both grisly and gruesome suggest additionally the results of extreme violence or cruelty.

an unusually grisly murder
suffered a gruesome death

How do lurid and gruesome relate to one another, in the sense of macabre?

Lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder.

the lurid details of a crime

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 macabre That something new is Bowling with Corpses and Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown (now on sale from Dark Horse Comics), a collection of deliciously macabre stories loosely inspired by folklore found ‘round the world. Josh Weiss, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025 Frontman Bryan Garris let out a mighty pig squeal as guest vocalist Poppy thrashed and screamed across the stage, dressed like an even more macabre girl from The Ring. Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2025 A couple walking by a footbridge above the highway was stunned by the macabre scene. Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2025 Poe, known for his macabre and Gothic style, was no stranger to audiences. Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for macabre
Recent Examples of Synonyms for macabre
Adjective
  • On September 2, 1885, in one of the most gruesome episodes of racial terror in American history, a group of white miners killed at least twenty-eight Chinese residents in Rock Springs and burned down the town’s Chinese quarter.
    Michael Luo, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025
  • The Fallen Sun stands out not just as a cop procedural, but also as a thriller that never shys away from the gruesome nature of the killer’s crime spree.
    Sezin Koehler, EW.com, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Based on the memoir by Monique Smith, who endured a horrific childhood only to discover that her family wasn’t actually hers.
    Peter White, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Read Next California Toddler disfigured by burns in ‘horrific’ child endangerment case in CA.
    Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • It’s been a shocking decline for the stock, which went public in late January and has already lost around two-thirds of its value.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The implications of three shocking pieces of news have hardly registered—yet.
    Steve Forbes, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Macabre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/macabre. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on macabre

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