macabre
UK /ˌməˈkɑː.bɹə/ · US /məˈkɑb/ adjective
- adjective Representing or personifying death.
- adjective Obsessed with death or the gruesome.
- adjective Ghastly, shocking, terrifying.
Synonyms
ghastly horrifying shocking terrifying grim grisly gruesome sick
Etymology
Borrowed from French macabre, whose etymology is uncertain. Possibly from the term danse macabre, most commonly believed to be from corruption of the biblical name Maccabees; compare Latin Chorea Machabaeorum.
Another theory derives the French term (through Spanish macabro) from Arabic مَقَابِر (maqābir, “cemeteries”), plural of مَقْبَرَة (maqbara) or مَقْبُرَة (maqbura).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “macabre”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details