/ məˈkɑːbrə; NAmE / adjective
unpleasant and strange because connected with death and frightening things
SYN ghoulish , grisly :
a macabre tale / joke / ritual
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WORD ORIGIN
late 19th cent.: from French macabre , from Danse Macabre dance of death, from Old French , perhaps from Macabé a Maccabee, with reference to a miracle play depicting the slaughter of the Maccabees.