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.

The street was lurid with the flashing lights of several fire trucks. —

Teju Cole, The New Yorker, 10 Jan. 2025 The regulation was written in the late 1990s after the high-profile release of a lurid report by Kenneth Starr, an independent counsel who investigated Mr. Clinton over the Whitewater land deal and his affair with Monica Lewinsky. —

Alan Feuer, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025 This is our fourth installment of Tabloid Fiction, in which an author chooses from the trashiest, most lurid, or just bizarre stories of the moment and writes a short story inspired by same. —

Max Ufberg, hazlitt.net, 4 Jan. 2025 Despite the lurid extravagance of its visual artistry, the film is remarkably spare and brisk, conveying vast hauntings with simple but startling special effects. —

Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lurid