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 The Ghastly Grotto started its life as a simple CostCo shed, but Mitchell has since turned it into a full-scale tiki bar, with niches and grottos packed with art, figurines and other bric-a-brac, all with a ghoulish bent. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for ghoulish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghoulish

Adjective

Lisa Robertson’s Riverwork draws on all these influences, and many more, to evoke overlapping Parises that chime with one another like a ghostly carillon.

— Ange Mlinko, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026
The street, still full of equipment and plastic water bottles, felt quiet and ghostly.

— Sarah Shanfield, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of ghostly

Adjective

The stairwell of the North Tower, or the five charred, spectral stories still standing, was being targeted for potential recoveries, and for good reason.

— Peter Wilkinson, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
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

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

Ema’s many long walks through the neighborhood are eerie — the screams echo as if from everywhere and nowhere — but there’s a stark beauty lurking behind the death and decay, as if life could come rushing back if enough people wanted to see it.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
The trailer finds Depp gray-haired, with a scraggly beard, eerie eyes and thick accent, getting thrown to the ground and arrested.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 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 glamorous, haunting, oh-so-theatrical love story of the legendary Baron Laurence Olivier and his equally iconic first lady, Vivien Leigh, is one filled with superlatives on both sides.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026
These numbers are especially haunting because the movement was never only about women.

— Pegah Banihashemi, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of haunting

Adjective

The team’s creepiest and most contented member is Xavier Von Erck (Matthew Maher), an online vigilante who arranges the show’s meetups, spending his days and nights fishing around in online chat rooms.

— Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
Below, shop our top picks to enjoy fall without the season’s creepy crawlies, starting at $4.

— Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of creepy

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 30 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of ghoulish

adjective

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