ghoulish

adjective

Definition of ghoulishnext
as in ghostly

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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 ghoulish But my deepest, most ghoulish questions, no investigation could answer. — Literary Hub, 10 June 2026 The fear and horror is handled dramatically without becoming grisly or ghoulish. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 June 2026 Concept art for Madame Leota’s Swinging Wake shows the street party will include familiar Haunted Mansion characters like the cemetery caretaker, grave diggers, ballroom dancers and a few ghoulish ghosts. — Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 2 June 2026 The ghoulish gathering is intended for attendees 17 and older. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for ghoulish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghoulish
  1. ghostly
  2. spectral
  3. ghastly
  4. eerie
  5. spooky
  6. haunting
  7. creepy
  8. ghostlike
Adjective
  • When Lydia’s sister, Claudine, becomes Odette’s new stepmother, a ghostly presence emerges in the house — spurring a story about grief and motherhood.
    — Chloe Gong, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Detectors are becoming so large and so sensitive that they will soon be swamped with other ghostly particles called neutrinos that are generated in the sun and in Earth’s atmosphere.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of ghostly
Adjective
  • This is where spectral imaging and vision systems monitor shade variations and print registration in real time across the full width of the fabric roll, ensuring dye uniformity from batch to batch.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • But Roman's spectral studies will have lower resolution over a large area, while Hubble's has higher resolution over a small area.
    — Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of spectral
Adjective
  • Does the movie go too easy on the man who eventually gave us Fox News and decades of ghastly politics?
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Wilson was a ghastly 6 of 21 from the free-throw line and led all summer leaguers in turnovers despite only playing 110 minutes.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of ghastly
Adjective
  • The higher the race climbed up the Puerto de El Morredero on stage 17, the blacker and more eerie the landscape became.
    — Chris Marshall-Bell, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • And, apparently, the eerie pictures are turning people's stomachs.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of eerie
Adjective
  • The 20th century in particular abounded in such visions, some of which—The Handmaid’s Tale, or Brave New World, published in 1932 and getting spookier every day—have proved more prophetic than others.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz and the Deetz family offer a slightly spookier option for families looking beyond traditional matching costumes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of spooky
Adjective
  • The comment takes on a haunting resonance three months later, after Panettiere was found unresponsive on a Sunday.
    — Krystie Lee Yandoli, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
  • The result is a haunting portrait of social collapse whose power is premised on the words and faces of survivors.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of haunting
Adjective
  • Halloween is next month, but these creepy crawlies are getting an early start to the spooky season.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • After a freak accident, Frank the bunny appears in an outstandingly creepy fashion to inform Donnie Darko of the world's impending doom.
    — Grace Dean, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of creepy
Adjective
  • Diners have toasted to him ever since, trading stories of feeling ghostlike brushes along their legs during Lowcountry meals.
    — Chelsea Brasted, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of ghostlike

Browse Nearby Words

ghoulies
ghoulish
ghoulishness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ghoulish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghoulish. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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