GHOULISH Synonyms: 54 Similar and Opposite Words

ghoulish

adjective

Definition of ghoulish

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

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

The design uses spectral beam combining, which merges several fiber-laser beams into a single high-power output.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
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

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

Fog has an eerie and enchanting way of coloring how humans perceive our surroundings—and scientists are discovering that the atmospheric phenomenon may remake microbes’ experience of their environment, too.

— Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026
The actress recalled the eerie deaths and accidents that happened during the shoot of the film, including a fire that ravaged a great part of the set and one of the crew members who lost their newborn child.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 8 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

Browse Nearby Words

ghoulies

ghoulish

ghoulishness

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“Ghoulish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghoulish. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ghoulish

adjective

Example Sentences

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