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
-
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, DC, has removed a priest as an exorcist and cut ties with the priest's nonprofit organization over comments the priest made about UFOs and demons.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
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The Bosch follower panel, titled Hell, was packed with the strange creatures, demons, and punishments that made the artist famous.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Beware the ghosts of IPOs past.—
Greg Bensinger,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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The cellist and guitarist collaborate on a set of relaxed, generous music that conjures ghosts of British folk and Pacific Northwest indie rock.—
Jayson Greene,
Pitchfork,
2 June 2026
Noun
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There’s a running gag about vampires peeing blood at public urinals This marvelously fun shift in tone more than justifies the title change.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
2 June 2026
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Crucial events morphed into massive set pieces, like Louis hunting down Claudia’s killers by setting their theater on fire, exploding the motorcycles of the vampires who fled the inferno, and eventually bursting out of a manhole to behead Claudia’s main tormenter.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Noun
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Angels and devils working together to stop Armageddon.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“Ghouls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghouls. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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