LURID Synonyms: 147 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'lurid' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of lurid are ghastly , grisly , gruesome , and macabre . While all these words mean "horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect," lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder. // the lurid details of a crime

Q: When might 'ghastly' be a better fit than 'lurid'?

While the synonyms ghastly and lurid are close in meaning, ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts. // a ghastly accident

Q: How do 'grisly' and 'gruesome' relate to one another, in the sense of 'lurid'?

Both grisly and gruesome suggest additionally the results of extreme violence or cruelty. // an unusually grisly murder // suffered a gruesome death

Q: Where would 'macabre' be a reasonable alternative to 'lurid'?

The synonyms macabre and lurid are sometimes interchangeable, but macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death. // a macabre tale of premature burial

lurid

adjective

ˈlu̇r-əd

Definition of lurid next

as in gruesome

extremely disturbing or repellent thank you for sparing us from the lurid details of the story

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pallid

lacking a healthy skin color the doctor was alarmed by the patient's lurid complexion was lurid after a long winter spent indoors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sensational

arousing a strong and usually superficial interest or emotional reaction the lurid news reports about the romance between the two Hollywood stars

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of lurid are ghastly, grisly, gruesome, and macabre. While all these words mean "horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect," lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder.

the lurid details of a crime

When might ghastly be a better fit than lurid?

While the synonyms ghastly and lurid are close in meaning, ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

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

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

an unusually grisly murder

suffered a gruesome death

Where would macabre be a reasonable alternative to lurid?

The synonyms macabre and lurid are sometimes interchangeable, but macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.

a macabre tale of premature burial

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 lurid 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 But a trickle of lurid headlines and lawsuits this decade, which followed the 2010s’ reassessment of stories of abuse from Dr. Dre’s past, suggests that his relative wholesome turn is not the entire picture. —

Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lurid

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurid

Adjective

Unlike the gruesome, bloodthirsty creatures of classic films and literature, Cullen and his family abstain from drinking the blood of humans.

— Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2025
Shanks brilliantly paces the story out with several pieces of foreshadowing, including a rat king as symbolism for toxic codependency, mirroring a gruesome story Tim tells Millie about his father’s death and his mother’s mental health.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 27 Jan. 2025