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Glite Dictionary
😱 Shocking or sensational 🌆 Unnatural light
lurid

lurid

15 8.7
Shocking and sensational because it shows violent or disgusting details
  • adjective
  • /ˈlʊrɪd/
  • NSFW
translation icon : escabroso
  • The film was criticized for its lurid portrayal of crime, focusing on graphic violence and sensationalism.
  • lurid details
  • lurid stories
  • the most lurid

Sex trafficking is broad enough to cover so many different crimes, and it's lurid.

Examples

  • Many Czechs responded to these alarming and lurid details by saying that drug use had not previously existed.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Readers are often drawn to lurid stories that highlight the darker aspects of human nature.

  • No wonder you know all the lurid details.

    Maniac Cop (1988)

  • "In Sydney, Dad was busy all day with some huge, lurid murder hearing that was all over the papers.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • You want to know why I'm telling you all about my lurid past?

    The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1937)

  • Negative and lurid depictions made their way into the American press, including the African American press.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Owen reports the lurid stories that du Chaillu heard from local people.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Gruesome and lurid details of his killing spree filled page after page.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Ladies and gentlemen, members of the jury, citizens of Santa Rosa, we've just heard from the district attorney a rather lurid description…

    The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

  • The newspaper published a lurid account of the scandal that shocked the community.

Synonyms

shocking
vslurid
278 3.4

Very surprising and upsetting in a way that makes people angry or sad

is attention grabbing by vivid explicit detail rather than mere surprise
graphic
vslurid
  • Offensive
100 6.0

Very clear and detailed about violent or sexual scenes

is attention grabbing for vivid scandalous detail rather than neutral description
gruesome
vslurid
  • NSFW
90 6.2

Shocking and unpleasant because it shows death or serious injury

is attention grabbing by scandalous explicit detail rather than only death or injury
horrendous
vslurid
82 7.0

Very shocking and scary, causing fear or disgust

is attention grabbing by scandalous vivid detail rather than only intense horror
gory
vslurid
  • NSFW
21 6.5

Showing a lot of blood and violence, often in films or news reports

is attention grabbing through scandalous vivid detail beyond bloody description
sensationalist
vslurid
  • Literature
5 7.5

Using shocking or exaggerated details to attract attention

is startling through vivid explicit details rather than deliberate exaggeration

Antonyms

mundane
80 4.3

Ordinary daily things or events that are not special and often feel boring

unremarkable
20 3.5

Being ordinary and not interesting

How Shocking

gruesome
  • NSFW
90 6.2
lurid
  • NSFW
15 8.7
sensational
95 4.1
striking
56 3.8
mild
107 1.0
ordinary
683 1.0

Surface Forms

lurid positive

Etymology

Lurid comes from the Latin luridus, meaning 'pale' or 'ghastly'. That's why lurid also describes shocking, sensational stories or details — they feel ghastly and grab your attention.