Definition of macabrenext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word macabre different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of macabre are ghastly, grisly, gruesome, and lurid. While all these words mean "horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect," macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.

a macabre tale of premature burial

When would ghastly be a good substitute for macabre?

The synonyms ghastly and macabre are sometimes interchangeable, but ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

How are the words grisly and gruesome related as synonyms of macabre?

Both grisly and gruesome suggest additionally the results of extreme violence or cruelty.

an unusually grisly murder
suffered a gruesome death

How do lurid and gruesome relate to one another, in the sense of macabre?

Lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder.

the lurid details of a crime

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of macabre The scene has the glint of macabre humor. Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025 In Park’s hands, Westlake’s dark horror-thriller becomes a deliciously macabre black comedy, largely thanks to a very physical, at times almost slapstick performance by Lee, who never fails to deliver the pathos of Man-soo’s desperation. Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2025 This coy, macabre novel recounts a trip to Venice taken by a middling English writer in the early twentieth century. The New Yorker, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025 Henry & Oliver Bernsen The Bernsen brothers’ debut feature Bagworm (Sitges 2025) follows a string of genre shorts exploring the surreal and macabre sides of human experience. Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 14 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for macabre
Recent Examples of Synonyms for macabre
Adjective
  • The moment causes Byron, a selfish and braggadocious villain, to have a change of heart, stopping shipments of The Beauty and paying off the families ravaged by its gruesome side effects, like Bella’s.
    Hunter Ingram, Variety, 5 Mar. 2026
  • The gruesome discovery would eventually lead authorities to a third woman, in her 80s, killed a few towns over, triggering a manhunt across several states and prompting a two-day closure of schools in Wayne County.
    Holly Yan, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Casap may never change after ‘horrific’ crimes First-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence.
    Todd Richmond, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Mougey and Jets coach Aaron Glenn will enter a critical offseason following a horrific 3-14 record.
    Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • News was spreading through the gym that Sage Hill had just upset Sierra Canyon 57-54 in Chatsworth in the other Open semifinal — one of the most shocking upsets in state basketball history.
    Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The Defense Department’s reliance on Anthropic’s AI came as a shocking realization that ultimately led to their dramatic schism, according to a top Pentagon official.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Macabre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/macabre. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.

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