adjective
-
gruesome; ghastly; grim
-
resembling or associated with the danse macabre
Other Word Forms
- macabrely adverb
Etymology
Origin of macabre
First recorded in 1400–50; from French; compare late Middle English Macabrees daunce, from Middle French danse (de) Macabré, of uncertain origin; perhaps to be identified with Medieval Latin chorēa Machabaeōrum a representation of the deaths of Judas Maccabaeus and his brothers, but evidence is lacking; the French pronunciation with mute e is a misreading of the Middle French forms
Explanation
The adjective macabre is used to describe things that involve the horror of death or violence. If a story involves lots of blood and gore, you can call it macabre. This word first appeared in English in the context of the "Dance of Death," recounted in literature as the figure of Death leading people in a dance to the grave, and translated from the Old French Danse Macabre. The Macabre part of the phrase is thought to be an alteration of Macabe, "a Maccabee," an allusion to the Maccabees, who were a Jewish people who led a revolt against the Seleucid Empire about 166 B.C.E. and were martyred in the process.
Vocabulary lists containing macabre
100 SAT Words Beginning with "M"
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"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner
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The Bluest Eye
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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.
You don’t give your respective ages, but women tend to live five years longer on average than men; a macabre data point worth considering.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
The details of the case are sensationally macabre and rich with intrigue.
From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026
"From the very beginning, since the time of the catacombs, Christians have venerated the bones of martyrs, the relics of martyrs, and they have never really experienced it as something macabre," Cesareo said.
From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026
Critics described the display as macabre and unsettling, arguing it crossed a line by transforming an assassination into a spectacle.
From Salon • Dec. 21, 2025
No one ever ascertained what pleasure they derived from this macabre game.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
