1
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
thank you for sparing us from the lurid details of the story
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pallid
lacking a healthy skin color
the doctor was alarmed by the patient's lurid complexion was lurid after a long winter spent indoors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sensational
arousing a strong and usually superficial interest or emotional reaction
the lurid news reports about the romance between the two Hollywood stars
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lurid
Like the two previous installments, on Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers, Ed Gein retells in lurid—and largely fantastical—detail the legend of a notorious murderer, with the aim of discerning what our collective obsession with and inevitable misunderstanding of each case says about society.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
Sherman gave them catchy, easy-to-identify titles and marketed them with dynamic, often lurid campaigns.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
The invitation to Versace’s Spring/Summer 2026 Milan Fashion Week show was a mysterious letter, urgently and longingly asking its recipient to come to a lurid afterparty of sorts.
—Ludwig Hurtado, Them., 29 Sep. 2025
An abundance of kitschy wall decorations (fuzzy dice, fake flowers, party streamers) gleamed under flashing lights, casting the room in lurid shades of pink and green.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lurid
Judy Berman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
Sherman gave them catchy, easy-to-identify titles and marketed them with dynamic, often lurid campaigns.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
The invitation to Versace’s Spring/Summer 2026 Milan Fashion Week show was a mysterious letter, urgently and longingly asking its recipient to come to a lurid afterparty of sorts.
—Ludwig Hurtado, Them., 29 Sep. 2025
An abundance of kitschy wall decorations (fuzzy dice, fake flowers, party streamers) gleamed under flashing lights, casting the room in lurid shades of pink and green.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lurid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurid
Adjective
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Halloween was significantly more graphic than many of its predecessors, and Zombie said the gruesome violence was a deliberate choice and that it wasn’t supposed to be easy viewing.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
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The five-minute mash-up rapidly intercuts scenes of happy domesticity (a loving mother, kids in face paint eating popcorn in front of the tube, teens affectionately goofing around) with gruesome murders committed by a beautiful little boy.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Morfydd Clark, pallid at first, has some emotive scenes at the wedding when Ophelia rails at Hamlet for turning away from her.—
Caryn James,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Aug. 2025
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Yet senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk recently took one of those pallid lumps and coaxed utter brilliance from it.—
Chris Morocco,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The Dodgers' pitching staff, especially their starting pitching, has been sensational, allowing just 28 runs in 10 postseason games.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Following a sensational 2-0 victory over Argentina on Sunday night, Morocco became the second African team to lift the Under-20 World Cup after Ghana in 2009.—
Thom Harris,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The tragedy in question is no secret — Chris and Jenny are killed together in a horrific car accident, which inspires all sorts of awful questions — and the fallout is mostly predictable.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
22 Oct. 2025
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How the stakeholders juggled those diametrically opposed ideas—liberty and self-governance but also slavery and their horrific treatment of the Native American population—is the part of the human experience that Burns is most interested in exploring.—
Carlo Versano,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The fruit’s pale, glossy surface already gives it that eerie eyeball effect.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The floors were made of pale gray wood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
19 Oct. 2025
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The carne asada is just as delicious—juicy and packed with the notes of cumin, citrus, and a bit of heat.—
Natalie Hoy,
Southern Living,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The shocking New York City murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 was followed by a July Midtown Manhattan shooting that claimed the lives of two security guards and two executives at Blackstone and Rudin Management.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
21 Oct. 2025
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At some hibernation sites, a shocking 90 to 100 percent of bats have died, and there currently is no cure.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Whether styled with a matching top for a monochromatic moment, like Middleton and Witherspoon, or paired with a T-shirt, like Clarkson, colorful pants are an easy way to make dressing for the office, a date night, or the holidays feel all the more fashionable.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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Grand Slam winners get a colorful Grand Slam Award sticker.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lurid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lurid. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.
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