ghoulish
GOO-lish
/ˈɡuː.lɪʃ/
Resembling or characteristic of a ghoul; morbidly interested in death, disaster, or ugliness.
Implies a grotesque, sickly delight in tragic or morbid topics.
The story behind the word. Entered English in the late 18th century from Arabic folktales, particularly 'One Thousand and One Nights'. In Arabian mythology, a 'ghūl' was a desert-dwelling demon that robbed graves and devoured corpses. Adopting the suffix '-ish', 'ghoulish' came to describe anyone taking sinister, grotesque delight in death.
Word relationships
- macabre: Macabre describes the artistic or thematic focus on death; ghoulish describes a person's grotesque, eager delight in it.
- morbid: Morbid denotes unhealthy mental preoccupation; ghoulish adds a demonic or monstrous edge to that preoccupation.
- wholesome: Wholesome indicates pure, uplifting qualities untainted by morbid desires.
- compassionate: Compassionate shows warm care for human suffering, opposite to ghoulish pleasure in tragedy.
Commonly confused with
- ghastly: Ghastly means shocking or sickly pale; ghoulish means morbidly taking pleasure in revolting or deathly things.
Word family
- ghoul (noun): An evil spirit or demon supposed to feed on human corpses.
- ghoulishly (adverb): In a ghoulish or morbid manner.
- ghoulishness (noun): Morbid or monstrous quality.
Collocations
- ghoulish delight
- ghoulish appearance
- ghoulish fascination
Example sentences
- "The tabloid press showed a ghoulish curiosity in printing graphic photos from the accident site." Media Critique
- "He painted his face with ghoulish makeup, complete with dark hollow eyes and painted scars." Halloween Costume
Memory hook
GHOULISH sounds like GOO-lish—like a monster taking delight in gross, gooey morbid things. Morbid delight in death and horror.
When not to use
Do not use for general wickedness or rudeness; it requires a morbid, death-enjoying aspect.
Fun facts
- The word 'ghoul' was introduced to European literature by French translator Antoine Galland in 1704.
Explore more words
grotesque, lugubrious, malevolent, woeful, unseemly, outlandish
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