lurid

adjective

lu·rid ˈlu̇r-əd

Synonyms of lurid next

: causing horror or revulsion : gruesome

The tabloids gave all the lurid details of floating wreckage and dismembered bodies.

: melodramatic, sensational

also : shocking

paperbacks in the usual lurid covers —

T. R. Fyvel

: wan and ghastly pale in appearance

frightened to death by the lurid waxworks—

Sara H. Hay

: of any of several light or medium grayish colors ranging in hue from yellow to orange

: shining with the red glow of fire seen through smoke or cloud

lurid flames

luridly adverb

luridness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for lurid

ghastly, grisly, gruesome, macabre, lurid mean horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect.

ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

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

an unusually grisly murder

suffered a gruesome death

macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.

a macabre tale of premature burial

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

the lurid details of a crime

Examples of lurid in a Sentence

a lurid tale of violence and betrayal the lurid lighting of a nightclub The light from the fire cast a lurid glow on everything.

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

In Luca Guadagnino’s incredibly insightful adaptation, Daniel Craig plays Bill Lee, the pseudonym Burroughs used to spare his wealthy family from the indignity of being related to the author of a lurid paperback called Junkie (1953). —

Damon Wise, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2024 Davis does not exactly celebrate the gospel according to Noyes, who sounds like the kind of cult leader about whom Netflix would today make a lurid series. —

Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024 There’s a small painting of an upside-down shark submerged in water, the entire image washed in a lurid red. —

Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024 To excavate the characters and the scenes of the campaign is to map a political environment in which only the most heightened and lurid version of events is vivid enough to capture the public’s attention. —

The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lurid