English

Adjective

ghoulish ‎(comparative more ghoulish, superlative most ghoulish)

1. Of or pertaining to ghouls.
   • 1911: Ameen Rihani, The Book of Khalid, p.32

     Ay, even the droll humour and solidity of Khalid, are shaken, aroused, by the ghoulish greed, the fell inhumanity of these sharpers.

2. Of or pertaining to corpses and graverobbing.
   • 1922 — H.P. Lovecraft, Herbert West: Reanimator

     We had that afternoon dug a grave in the cellar, and would have to fill it by dawn -- for although we had fixed a lock on the house, we wished to shun even the remotest risk of a ghoulish discovery.

3. Fascinated by corpses.

Translations

See also

• ghastly
• macabre