lurid

adjective

lu·rid ˈlu̇r-əd

Synonyms of lurid next

: causing horror or revulsion : gruesome

The tabloids gave all the lurid details of floating wreckage and dismembered bodies.

: melodramatic, sensational

also : shocking

paperbacks in the usual lurid covers —

T. R. Fyvel

: wan and ghastly pale in appearance

frightened to death by the lurid waxworks—

Sara H. Hay

: of any of several light or medium grayish colors ranging in hue from yellow to orange

: shining with the red glow of fire seen through smoke or cloud

lurid flames

luridly adverb

luridness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for lurid

ghastly, grisly, gruesome, macabre, lurid mean horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect.

ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

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

an unusually grisly murder

suffered a gruesome death

macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.

a macabre tale of premature burial

lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder.

the lurid details of a crime

Examples of lurid in a Sentence

a lurid tale of violence and betrayal the lurid lighting of a nightclub The light from the fire cast a lurid glow on everything.

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

To excavate the characters and the scenes of the campaign is to map a political environment in which only the most heightened and lurid version of events is vivid enough to capture the public’s attention. —

The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2024 A lot of movies in this subset of vampire stories are entertaining or lurid or both, but this one from director Emily Harris is actually a good movie, too. —

Jordan Crucchiola, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024 Flash forward 92-plus years to Donald Trump’s rally Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, a bleak, lurid festival of racist hate and profane vituperation so vile that even fellow Republicans, who have turned a blind eye to Trump’s character for years, are distancing themselves from the event. —

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024 In addition to riling the MPAA, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s lurid, controversial title would end up putting it directly into the crosshairs of the nation’s squeamish and easily offended critics. —

Chris Nashawaty, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lurid