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macabro

macabre

adjective mah-KAH-broh Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Quality

Origin: French macabre, from medieval 'danse macabre' (dance of death)

Also means

gruesome

Usage Note

Macabro describes something morbidly grim or death-obsessed, used of scenes, humour, or stories. The feminine form is macabra. It is a loanword from French and keeps its unusual stress pattern. Learners sometimes mispronounce it as ma-ca-BRO — stress falls on the second syllable.

Examples

"Il film aveva un'atmosfera macabra."

Natural Translation

The film had a macabre atmosphere.

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