Ghoulishness

/ˈɡuːlɪʃnəs/ noun

Definition

The quality or state of being ghoulish; a fascination with death, suffering, or gruesome and macabre things.

Etymology

Noun form created from 'ghoulish' (ghoul + -ish) plus the abstract noun suffix '-ness,' which forms nouns expressing qualities or conditions (like 'darkness' or 'kindness').

Kelly Says

There's a psychological phenomenon where some humans are drawn to 'ghoulishness'—true crime obsession, horror movies, and autopsy shows fulfill a morbid curiosity that evolutionary psychologists think helped our ancestors understand danger and death.

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