Gothic Literature Terms

adjective having a sullen and gloomy disposition; marked by or expressive of gloom

• The morose atmosphere in the office was palpable as the employees worked in silence.
• She's been feeling a bit morose lately, maybe we should plan a fun outing to cheer her up.
• I can't stand being around him when he's in one of his morose moods.
• The storm clouds gathered overhead, casting a morose shadow over the landscape.

noun the supposed practice of communicating with the dead, especially in order to predict the future

• The practice of necromancy is often associated with communicating with the spirits of the deceased.
• Some people believe that necromancy can bring back the dead.
• I heard she's into some dark stuff, like necromancy or something.
• His ability to revive old traditions is like a form of cultural necromancy.

adjective near in space, time, or relation; close

adverb near in time, place, or relationship

• The deadline for submitting the project is nigh.
• I can't believe the party is nigh, I'm so excited!
• The concert is nigh, we better get going soon.
• The end of the road seemed nigh, but they pressed on with determination.

noun a preternatural being or occurrence

adjective beyond what is normal or natural; supernatural

• The scientist was fascinated by the preternatural abilities of the subject.
• She always had a preternatural sense of when something was about to go wrong.
• That magician has some seriously preternatural skills!
• The athlete's speed on the field was preternatural, almost supernatural.

noun a small room or monument, cut in rock or built of stone, in which a dead person is laid or buried

• The ancient sepulcher was carefully preserved by archaeologists.
• Let's go check out that old sepulcher in the cemetery.
• I heard there's some spooky stuff in that sepulcher over there.
• The abandoned factory was like a sepulcher for lost dreams.

adjective causing fear or dread, terrible

• The direful news of the impending economic crisis shook the nation.
• The direful weather forecast ruined our plans for a picnic.
• I can't believe the direful mess I got myself into this time.
• The direful shadow of war loomed over the region, causing fear and unrest.

noun a state of darkness or obscurity

adjective dark, dim, or misty

• The caliginous atmosphere of the cave made it difficult to see beyond a few feet.
• I couldn't find my way in the caliginous room without turning on the lights.
• The party was so caliginous, I could barely see who was there.
• His mind was in a caliginous state, clouded with confusion and doubt.

verb to cause fear or terror in; frighten

• The loud noise of thunder affrightened the young child.
• I didn't mean to affrighten you with my sudden appearance.
• The horror movie affrightened me so much that I couldn't sleep.
• The thought of failing affrightens me more than anything else.

adjective causing fear or terror; frightful

• The affrightful storm caused widespread damage to the town.
• I had an affrightful encounter with a spider in my room last night.
• That horror movie was so affrightful, I couldn't sleep for days.
• The news of the accident was affrightful, sending shockwaves through the community.