adjective
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gruesome; ghastly; grim
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resembling or associated with the danse macabre
Other Word Forms
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.
But audiences should not expect to see the 24-year-old — best known for her macabre role in Netflix’s “Wednesday” — with a deadpan expression or in a morose mood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
When that wish starts to come true, his life takes a turn for the macabre.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
The soot-blackened Philadelphia he encountered, then in a state of urban decay, sparked his lifelong fascination with industrialism, destitution and the macabre.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
He was believed to be a cheerfully overweight, somewhat enigmatic British chap with a delightfully macabre sense of humor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Back in June 1993, during the course of putting together Mommy’s will—something I had to force her to do—the macabre subject of her burial came up.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
