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View synonyms for

macabre

Rarely ··

[muh-kah-bruh, -kahb, -kah-ber]

adjective

  1. gruesome and horrifying; ghastly; horrible.

  2. of, pertaining to, dealing with, or representing death, especially its grimmer or uglier aspect.

  3. of or suggestive of the allegorical dance of death.



macabre

/ -brə, məˈkɑːbə /

adjective

  1. gruesome; ghastly; grim

  2. resembling or associated with the danse macabre

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • ˈ adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of macabre1

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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of macabre1

C15: from Old French danse macabre dance of death, probably from é relating to the Maccabees, who were associated with death because of the doctrines and prayers for the dead in II Macc. (12:43–46)
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Then the plot departs from reality and descends into macabre humor, with Cole accidentally pushing the old lady down the stairs, killing her.

From

This macabre list also leaves out the thousands of people who have been shot and killed by law enforcement.

From

“Brad Pitt probably has to stay sequestered in a tower in a castle somewhere — it becomes no fun at all,” said Cassandra Peterson, the actor better known as the macabre movie hostess Elvira.

From

The three friends try to find their rhythm in the steps of the danse macabre she creates, even as old dance patterns of desire and friendship bring them closer to the encroaching flames.

From

The macabre object was given to then-Caerphilly MP Ness Edwards, who went with a parliamentary delegation to the Buchenwald concentration camp in April 1945 to gather evidence of the horrors of the Holocaust.

From

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macmacaco