ghoul

[gool]

See more synonyms for ghoul on Thesaurus.com

noun

an evil demon, originally of Muslim legend, supposed to feed on human beings, and especially to rob graves, prey on corpses, etc.
a grave robber.
a person who revels in what is revolting.

Origin of ghoul

First recorded in 1780–90, ghoul is from the Arabic word ghūl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for ghoul

devil, monster, bogeyman, fiend

Examples from the Web for ghoul

Contemporary Examples of ghoul

The ghoul that keeps Putin awake at night is a Ukrainian Cossack.
Cossacks: The Cowboys of Crimea
Kamil Tchorek
March 12, 2014
In Arabic legend, a ghoul is a creature that eats both stolen corpses and children.
What's the Difference Between Ghouls, Goblins, and Ghosts?
Dictionary.com
November 1, 2010

Historical Examples of ghoul

He was a sottish-looking fellow, and there was something of the glare of a ghoul in his eyes.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service
It is a ghoul, it haunts his dreams, this image, with its hateful conclusions.
Fantasia of the Unconscious
D. H. Lawrence
It was the physiognomy of what I should fancy a ghoul might be.
A Stable for Nightmares
J. Sheridan Le Fanu
But then he was such a worthless vagabond, a ghoul who had robbed a dead body.
Five Tales
John Galsworthy
We go to ashes at once, and leave no corpse for a ghoul to inhabit and make a vampire of.
Robert Falconer
George MacDonald

British Dictionary definitions for ghoul

ghoul

noun

a malevolent spirit or ghost
a person interested in morbid or disgusting things
a person who robs graves
(in Muslim legend) an evil demon thought to eat human bodies, either stolen corpses or children

Word Origin for ghoul

C18: from Arabic ghūl, from ghāla he seized

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ghoul

1786, in the English translation of Beckford's "Vathek," from Arabic ghul, an evil spirit that robs graves and feeds on corpses, from ghala "he seized."