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
Aficionados will delight in minor details such as being close enough to touch the ghoulish monkey music box from the original, and being within breathing distance of the performers in these famous roles.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
At first I am horrified by the ghoulish skinned squirrels, as red and muscular as skinless human bodies in Miss Larsen’s science book.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
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.
