as in demons
an evil spirit
in Arabic folklore, ghouls could change their shapes but had one unchanging feature: donkey's hooves for feet
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Recent Examples of ghouls
With Adam Roberts announcing the tempos on the baby grand piano, the ghouls in Tevye’s nightmare emerge from around the fourposter.
—
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
In his masterful first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, ghouls and spirits keep chattering away, as if at a corner barbershop, while Abraham Lincoln mourns his dead 11-year-old son, Willie.
—Pico Iyer, Air Mail, 24 Jan. 2026
Its lead character is Harry Dresden, a professional wizard operating out of the city of Chicago in a world where ghouls, ghosts, werewolves and vampires exist in the shadows of modern society.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026
No disrespect to Purnell, who perfectly calibrated Lucy’s intrinsic hopefulness in the first season and slowly begins to curdle it this go-round as Lucy spends more time among ghouls, raiders, cannibals, and various other feuding factions.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
The 5,616-square-foot dark charcoal home located on more than four acres in Sonoita, in southern Arizona’s wine country, is decorated with full-size ghouls collected from movie sets by the owners.
—Catherine Reagor, AZCentral.com, 31 Oct. 2025
For centuries, a peace treaty between humans and the Black World — which houses all manner of witches, demons, and ghouls — has been in place to ensure separation between the two factions.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Participants are encouraged to come dressed as ghosts, ghouls, vampires, witches or pop culture characters.
—Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The electric vehicle company is rolling out a seasonal theme as a part of its software update that's made for ghouls, goblins and things that go bump in the night.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 4 Feb. 2026
In his masterful first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, ghouls and spirits keep chattering away, as if at a corner barbershop, while Abraham Lincoln mourns his dead 11-year-old son, Willie.
—Pico Iyer, Air Mail, 24 Jan. 2026
Its lead character is Harry Dresden, a professional wizard operating out of the city of Chicago in a world where ghouls, ghosts, werewolves and vampires exist in the shadows of modern society.
—Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026
No disrespect to Purnell, who perfectly calibrated Lucy’s intrinsic hopefulness in the first season and slowly begins to curdle it this go-round as Lucy spends more time among ghouls, raiders, cannibals, and various other feuding factions.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025
The 5,616-square-foot dark charcoal home located on more than four acres in Sonoita, in southern Arizona’s wine country, is decorated with full-size ghouls collected from movie sets by the owners.
—Catherine Reagor, AZCentral.com, 31 Oct. 2025
For centuries, a peace treaty between humans and the Black World — which houses all manner of witches, demons, and ghouls — has been in place to ensure separation between the two factions.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Participants are encouraged to come dressed as ghosts, ghouls, vampires, witches or pop culture characters.
—Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The electric vehicle company is rolling out a seasonal theme as a part of its software update that's made for ghouls, goblins and things that go bump in the night.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghouls
Noun
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Instead of teaching his nephew how to fight, Jake shows Marc what real courage is, facing down his own demons along the way.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
3 Feb. 2026
-
In the process, Jake shows Marc what real courage is while facing down his own demons.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The precarious state of her mind forces us to question whether Sylvia and Ted are ghosts, hallucinations or literary inventions sprung to life.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
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The show’s greatest strength was never just the jump scares or the hidden ghosts tucked into background shots.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Written by Port and Wiseman, Eternally Yours is an eternal love story about two vampires, Liz (Edwards) and Charles (Weeks), who have been married for five hundred years, and their struggles to accept the human, Max (Lewison), who is dating their daughter, Emma (Shen).—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 Feb. 2026
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And not just any vampires, but singing vampires!—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There are sounds and shadows in the forest; the Devil, or devils, may be walking the earth.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
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And then there are the infernal workers who make sure that Lucifer’s realm runs smoothly, among them farting devils, giants in chains, and a flying monster with the body of a serpent and the face of an honest man.—
Eric Bulson,
The Atlantic,
2 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ghouls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghouls. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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