adjective
lurid
LOOR-id/ˈlʊrɪd/
Disturbingly vivid in its presentation.
The lurid poster surrounds a decaying skull with ghastly smoke and a blood-red moon.
Etymology
Latin luridus described a ghastly pallor, though its deeper origin is uncertain. The modern sensational sense may come through that ghastliness or through the ominous quality of the later sense, a glow like smoky flames.
In context
My stomach would insist on rising to my throat to choke me each time I thought of some lurid possibility.
More examples
- Lurid headlines turn a private argument into a public scandal.
- She skips the novel’s lurid descriptions of torture.
- The poster’s lurid pink and orange colors hurt my eyes.
Forms
lurid · more lurid · most lurid
luridly adverb — In a shockingly or unpleasantly vivid way.
luridness noun — The quality of being disturbingly vivid.
Similar words
- sensational
- Emphasizes provoking excitement or shock, not necessarily vivid detail.
- graphic
- Emphasizes explicit detail without necessarily implying an intent to shock.
- garish
- Describes excessively bright, clashing colors rather than disturbing subject matter.