lurid
Americanadjective
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gruesome; horrible; revolting.
the lurid details of an accident.
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glaringly vivid or sensational; shocking.
the lurid tales of pulp magazines.
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terrible in intensity, fierce passion, or unrestraint.
lurid crimes.
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lighted or shining with an unnatural, fiery glow; wildly or garishly red.
a lurid sunset.
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wan, pallid, or ghastly in hue; livid.
adjective
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vivid in shocking detail; sensational
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horrible in savagery or violence
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pallid in colour; wan
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glowing with an unnatural glare
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lurid
First recorded in 1650–60, lurid is from the Latin word lūridus sallow, ghastly
Explanation
Something lurid is vivid and attention-grabbing in a shocking, graphic, or horrible way. that pulls them in. Your mother might complain that she hates lurid TV shows — ones that are overly sensationalized and meant to shock. An expression used to avoid hearing or seeing disturbing things is "spare me the lurid details," and people say that so they won't have shocking or ugly images put into their imaginations. The word lurid, which entered English in the 17th century, comes from Latin lūridis, "ghastly, pale yellow," and it can also refer to things that are a ghastly yellow color or to something shining with a strange red glow. All of the synonyms for the adjective lurid describe qualities that can turn a person pale: dreadful, nightmarish, and horrific, among others.
Vocabulary lists containing lurid
The Scarlet Letter
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100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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Grade 11, List 5
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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.
Lurid origin stories for plagues are nothing new under the sun.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Lurid yellow warning posters reading “Caution! You are entering an area of high infection” now dot the city.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2020
Lurid newspaper accounts and a popular true-crime book aren’t all that helpful to her search, and threatening letters hand-delivered in the dead of night to frighten her away from her mission lend little encouragement.
From New York Times • Sep. 4, 2020
Lurid flames roared and belched and licked their forked tongues in the air.
From Slate • Oct. 23, 2019
Name of him who faced for science thirsty tracts of bitter glow, Lurid lands that no one knows of—two-and-thirty years ago.
From The Poems of Henry Kendall With Biographical Note by Bertram Stevens by Kendall, Henry
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.
