LURID Synonyms: 147 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'lurid' different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of lurid are ghastly , grisly , gruesome , and macabre . While all these words mean "horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect," lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder. // the lurid details of a crime

Q: When might 'ghastly' be a better fit than 'lurid'?

While the synonyms ghastly and lurid are close in meaning, ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts. // a ghastly accident

Q: How do 'grisly' and 'gruesome' relate to one another, in the sense of 'lurid'?

Both grisly and gruesome suggest additionally the results of extreme violence or cruelty. // an unusually grisly murder // suffered a gruesome death

Q: Where would 'macabre' be a reasonable alternative to 'lurid'?

The synonyms macabre and lurid are sometimes interchangeable, but macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death. // a macabre tale of premature burial

lurid

adjective

ˈlu̇r-əd

Definition of lurid next

as in gruesome

extremely disturbing or repellent thank you for sparing us from the lurid details of the story

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in pallid

lacking a healthy skin color the doctor was alarmed by the patient's lurid complexion was lurid after a long winter spent indoors

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in sensational

arousing a strong and usually superficial interest or emotional reaction the lurid news reports about the romance between the two Hollywood stars

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word lurid different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of lurid are ghastly, grisly, gruesome, and macabre. While all these words mean "horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect," lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder.

the lurid details of a crime

When might ghastly be a better fit than lurid?

While the synonyms ghastly and lurid are close in meaning, ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

How do grisly and gruesome relate to one another, in the sense of lurid?

Both grisly and gruesome suggest additionally the results of extreme violence or cruelty.

an unusually grisly murder

suffered a gruesome death

Where would macabre be a reasonable alternative to lurid?

The synonyms macabre and lurid are sometimes interchangeable, but macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.

a macabre tale of premature burial

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of lurid The film instead evolves into a lurid knockoff of an early Coen-brothers work, something like Blood Simple with tablets. —

David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025 The news feeds occasionally cut to the boisterous arena, lit in lurid blood-red, as if showing MAGA’s id and superego in split screen. —

James Poniewozik, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025 Hunter Biden subsequently entered a surprise guilty plea last September to federal tax charges, averting a trial that would have showcased potentially lurid evidence on top of the salacious and unflattering details about his personal life aired during his earlier trial in Delaware. —

Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2025 But melodramatic fantasies about the end can also serve as a kind of lurid distraction from some of the more persistent problems at hand. —

Jennifer Szalai, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for lurid

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lurid

Adjective

Friday’s 102-86 setback in Brooklyn - marked by a gruesome fourth quarter in which Miami was outscored 31-9 – left the Heat at 25-25.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2025
Osgood Perkins is back in his horror bag to bring the short story from Stephen King to the big screen, following twin brothers Bill and Hal, who find their father's old toy monkey in the attic, an event which leads to a series of gruesome deaths.

— Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025