MACABRE Synonyms: 81 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

macabre

adjective

mə-ˈkäb

Definition of macabre next

as in gruesome

extremely disturbing or repellent a macabre movie about animated corpses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 The action kicks off on February 14 with a macabre Valentines Day offering in The Dead Thing, which follows a woman who unearths a deadly secret during a romantic fling, and extends throughout the month. —

Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 28 Jan. 2025 Just as the rural is shorn of indigenous flora and female fetuses, as Balya observes in macabre ordinary fashion (referring to high rates of female infanticide), the dream of a life spent with special friend is a depletion reimagined as a marginal gain by the marginalized. —

Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 26 Jan. 2025 Netflix has invited fans to play non-lethal Squid Games, from The Challenge to immersive Squid Game: The Experience pop-ups on three continents, as though the point of the series was that macabre versions of childhood games are fun. —

Judy Berman, TIME, 26 Dec. 2024 Puente’s property has become somewhat of a macabre tourist attraction in Sacramento, now owned by Barbara Holmes and Tom Williams, who purchased the home in 2010 at auction, according to The Sacramento Bee. —

Sean Neumann, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for macabre

Recent Examples of Synonyms for macabre

Adjective

Friday’s 102-86 setback in Brooklyn - marked by a gruesome fourth quarter in which Miami was outscored 31-9 – left the Heat at 25-25.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2025
Osgood Perkins is back in his horror bag to bring the short story from Stephen King to the big screen, following twin brothers Bill and Hal, who find their father's old toy monkey in the attic, an event which leads to a series of gruesome deaths.

— Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025