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
This year’s Halloween costumes will feature everything from on-screen favorites to glittery ghouls.
—
Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Sep. 2025
The adorable design is perfect for welcoming little ghosts and ghouls on Halloween night.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
But according to Jason, his dad had some notes about the film’s inclusion of some of the ghouls from the 1984 original.
—John Russell, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Monstrous ghouls cheering after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on Wednesday are ubiquitous on social media.
—Dominic Pino, National Review, 5 Dec. 2024
In Fallout, ghouls have extended lifespans and are impervious to things that would kill humans, like losing a limb or eating rotten flesh.
—Jason Fields, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
With her husband’s cooperation, a coven of Devil-worshipping ghouls occupy an Upper West Side apartment building and conspire to have a young woman Rosemary (Mia Farrow) raped and impregnated by Satan himself.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2024
In the movie, Evan and Tim evade Max and his evil legion’s efforts to make them into literal corporate ghouls by teaming up with security guard Frank (Marshall Givens).
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024
With roots stretching back to the ancient Pagan festival of Samhain (pronounced SAH-win), when the barrier between the worlds of the living and dead was believed to be at its thinnest, Halloween—with its ghosts, ghouls, witches and werewolves—has captured our imaginations for centuries.
—Matt Ralphs, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2024
Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Sep. 2025
The adorable design is perfect for welcoming little ghosts and ghouls on Halloween night.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
But according to Jason, his dad had some notes about the film’s inclusion of some of the ghouls from the 1984 original.
—John Russell, People.com, 28 Jan. 2025
Monstrous ghouls cheering after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City on Wednesday are ubiquitous on social media.
—Dominic Pino, National Review, 5 Dec. 2024
In Fallout, ghouls have extended lifespans and are impervious to things that would kill humans, like losing a limb or eating rotten flesh.
—Jason Fields, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024
With her husband’s cooperation, a coven of Devil-worshipping ghouls occupy an Upper West Side apartment building and conspire to have a young woman Rosemary (Mia Farrow) raped and impregnated by Satan himself.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 25 Nov. 2024
In the movie, Evan and Tim evade Max and his evil legion’s efforts to make them into literal corporate ghouls by teaming up with security guard Frank (Marshall Givens).
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 18 Oct. 2024
With roots stretching back to the ancient Pagan festival of Samhain (pronounced SAH-win), when the barrier between the worlds of the living and dead was believed to be at its thinnest, Halloween—with its ghosts, ghouls, witches and werewolves—has captured our imaginations for centuries.
—Matt Ralphs, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghouls
Noun
-
But vanquishing his demons against the team for which his on-field struggles were most highly publicized would be a cathartic endeavor.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
-
However, he is born out of the same need to release music, to release the demons that are entering his brain.—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Ha-Ha-Halloween Song If your toddler is still a tad freaked out by all the skeletons and ghosts appearing around their neighborhood in the form of creepy decorations, and the prospect of dressing up just doesn’t sound appealing, CoComelon can help.—
Elisabeth Sherman,
Parents,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Every room has had an account of ghosts or spirits but certain rooms are consistently haunted.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Where are True Blood's vampires, shapeshifters, werewolves, and fairies today?—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The scene, which was not in Stephenie Meyer's 2008 book that the movie was adapted from, raised eyebrows for its brutal killings of vampires Carlisle Cullen (Peter Facinelli) and Jasper Hale (Jackson Rathbone), as well as werewolves Seth (Booboo Stewart) and Leah Clearwater (Julia Jones).—
Jen Juneau,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Whether or not Alice lived happily ever after, Gertrude seems to have done so, at least once her devils were banished by inscrutability.—
Judith Thurman,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Weapons seems to break such cycles, leaving no more devils hiding in basements or upstairs bedrooms playing with dolls or ribbons of hair.—
Richard Newby,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ghouls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghouls. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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