lurid

1 extremely disturbing or repellent we quickly drove past the lurid scene of the crash Synonyms appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, grisly, gruesome (also grewsome), hideous, horrendous, horrid, horrific, horrifying, horrible, macabre, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrible, terrificRelated Words alarming, bloodcurdling, dire, direful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, gut-wrenching, hair-raising, heart-stopping, intimidating, redoubtable, scary, terrifying; abhorrent, deplorable, disagreeable, disgusting, distasteful, loathsome, nauseating, noisome, obnoxious, obscene, offensive, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sickening; abominable, evil, foul, heinous, noxious, odious, unspeakable, vile; grotesque, ugly, unsightlyNear Antonyms agreeable, appealing, attractive, delectable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome; cheering, comforting, soothing

2 lacking a healthy skin color the doctor was alarmed by the patient's lurid complexion Synonyms ashen, ashy, blanched, cadaverous, doughy, livid, pale, mealy, paled, pallid, pasty, peaked, wanRelated Words sallow, sallowish, sick, sickly, waxen, waxy; white, whitened; anemic, bloodless; untanned; whey-faced, white-facedNear Antonyms blushing, flushed, pinkAntonyms blooming, florid, flush, full-blooded, glowing, red, rosy, rubicund, ruddy, sanguine

3 arousing a strong and usually superficial interest or emotional reaction the lurid news reports about the romance between the two Hollywood stars Synonyms catchpenny, gee-whiz, sensational, screaming, sensationalist, sensationalisticRelated Words catchy; colorful, juicy, racy, suggestive; dramatic, histrionic, melodramatic, theatrical (also theatric); coarse, vulgar; gory, shockingNear Antonyms innocuous, inoffensive, tame; dignified, formal, proper, restrainedAntonyms nonsensational