as in demons
an evil spirit
in Arabic folklore, ghouls could change their shapes but had one unchanging feature: donkey's hooves for feet
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Recent Examples of ghouls
Created by a number of its stars, Ghosts originated on the BBC in 2019, following a group of ghouls from different historical periods haunting a country house while sharing the house with its new living occupants.
—
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026
Now working as a stocker, Ash accidentally unleashes undead ghouls after reading from the Necronomicon, forcing him to take up his chainsaw yet again to save humanity from the Deadites.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Feb. 2026
Here was music that pushed the genre back to the realm of ghosts and ghouls, the ideal soundtrack for doing battle with Dracula on the spiral staircase of his manor.
—Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Even a half-century later, the undead ghouls that descend upon survivors in a Pennsylvania farm house are timeless and the gut-punch ending couldn't be more timely.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
With Adam Roberts announcing the tempos on the baby grand piano, the ghouls in Tevye’s nightmare emerge from around the fourposter.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
In his masterful first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, ghouls and spirits keep chattering away, as if at a corner barbershop, while Abraham Lincoln mourns his dead 11-year-old son, Willie.
—Pico Iyer, Air Mail, 24 Jan. 2026
Its lead character is Harry Dresden, a professional wizard operating out of the city of Chicago in a world where ghouls, ghosts, werewolves and vampires exist in the shadows of modern society.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026
No disrespect to Purnell, who perfectly calibrated Lucy’s intrinsic hopefulness in the first season and slowly begins to curdle it this go-round as Lucy spends more time among ghouls, raiders, cannibals, and various other feuding factions.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2026
Now working as a stocker, Ash accidentally unleashes undead ghouls after reading from the Necronomicon, forcing him to take up his chainsaw yet again to save humanity from the Deadites.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Feb. 2026
Here was music that pushed the genre back to the realm of ghosts and ghouls, the ideal soundtrack for doing battle with Dracula on the spiral staircase of his manor.
—Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Even a half-century later, the undead ghouls that descend upon survivors in a Pennsylvania farm house are timeless and the gut-punch ending couldn't be more timely.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026
With Adam Roberts announcing the tempos on the baby grand piano, the ghouls in Tevye’s nightmare emerge from around the fourposter.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
In his masterful first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, ghouls and spirits keep chattering away, as if at a corner barbershop, while Abraham Lincoln mourns his dead 11-year-old son, Willie.
—Pico Iyer, Air Mail, 24 Jan. 2026
Its lead character is Harry Dresden, a professional wizard operating out of the city of Chicago in a world where ghouls, ghosts, werewolves and vampires exist in the shadows of modern society.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026
No disrespect to Purnell, who perfectly calibrated Lucy’s intrinsic hopefulness in the first season and slowly begins to curdle it this go-round as Lucy spends more time among ghouls, raiders, cannibals, and various other feuding factions.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghouls
Noun
-
So, instead of looking to exercise some demons from their recent past, the Avs will have the opportunity to get payback for ones from further back in the club’s history.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
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In Times of Dragons [Universal/Fontana] Dealing with demons is nothing new for Tori Amos, but on her 18th studio album, there’s little that’s figurative about the struggle between human good and Trumpian evil.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Whatever the reason, the rest of the day, ghosts of my former selves appeared around every sandy corner.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
-
As lawmakers consider helping the Bears build a new stadium, the ghosts of past stadium deals still haunt the present.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
Noun
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Pajak’s Sam must drive home the lesson that the real vampires are those creatures who try to steal your true soul — your individuality.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
By the final showdown, the production has made use of every bit of stage space, with sensational flying sequences (choreographed by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant) that allow the vampires to float, hover, and—in one especially intense moment—dive from that bridge.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ash devils can hurl hot embers in all directions and spark new fires, but this one harmlessly dissipated without spreading the blaze further.—
Blanca Begert,
Los Angeles Times,
3 May 2026
-
Other propaganda compared Native people to buffalo, cats, dogs, and devils.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ghouls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghouls. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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