ghoulish

[ goo-lish ]

adjective

1. strangely diabolical or cruel; monstrous:

   a ghoulish and questionable sense of humor.

2. showing fascination with death, disease, maiming, etc.; morbid:

   ghoulish curiosity.

3. of, relating to, or like a ghoul or ghouls.

ˈghoulish

/ ˈɡuːlɪʃ /

adjective

1. of or relating to ghouls; morbid or disgusting; unhealthily interested in death

Derived Forms

• ˈghoulishness, noun
• ˈghoulishly, adverb

Other Words From

• ghoulish·ly adverb
• ghoulish·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of ghoulish¹

First recorded in 1835–45; ghoul + -ish ¹

Example Sentences

In the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections, Elizabeth Bruenig wrote for the Washington Post that Halloween “gets its depth and intrigue from the layering of things that seem frightening but are really benign — toothy jack-o’-lanterns, ghoulish costumes, tales of ghosts and witches and monsters — atop things that seem benign but are really frightening, such as the passage of the harvest season into the long, cold dark.”

From Los Angeles Times

As you fill up your candy bowl and carve your pumpkins in preparation for All Hallow’s Eve, it’s worth considering the risks that come with the ghoulish festivities and how to prepare for them.

From Los Angeles Times

And yet, behind the lurid carnival barkery of Hulk Hogan and Rudy Giuliani and BeDazzled Alina Habba and the ghoulish malevolence of Stephen Miller and Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk, perhaps the enduring message here was not the blatant “banality of evil,” or even that “the cruelty is the point,” but the ease with which the enshittification of democracy itself is the real endgame of the Trump campaign.

From Slate

At the end of the month, they will be carved up with a ghoulish grin to celebrate Halloween, a tradition that is becoming increasingly popular across the globe.

From Salon

The gothic theater opened 90 minutes early, its lobby turned into a pre-show “Bardo,” a ghoulish performance installation by Sandra Powers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cruel
• demonic
• devilish
• eerie
• frightening
• ghastly
• grim
• grisly
• gruesome
• horrible
• macabre
• morbid
• spooky