ghoulish
Americanadjective
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strangely diabolical or cruel; monstrous.
a ghoulish and questionable sense of humor.
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showing fascination with death, disease, maiming, etc.; morbid.
ghoulish curiosity.
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of, relating to, or like a ghoul or ghouls.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- ghoulishly adverb
- ghoulishness noun
Etymology
Origin of ghoulish
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What makes the character indelible is the ghoulish heavy makeup, a bright red wig with tiny bangs, and oversized tinted sunglasses -- a cartoonish look that has gone viral.
From Barron's • Mar. 15, 2026
He was a ghoulish host of a late-night television horror program in the 2005 vampire movie “The Roost,” then played a wagon-train missionary in the 2007 western “Seraphim Falls.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026
He takes this ghoulish stance in the name of making “The Five” more entertaining.
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026
Critics of prediction markets decry betting on wars as ghoulish and tasteless.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026
Octavian’s face looked almost ghoulish under his white mantle - his eyes too piercing, his cheeks too gaunt, his lips too thin and colourless.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
