aghast

aghast

adjective \ə-ˈgast\

Definition of AGHAST

: struck with terror, amazement, or horror : shocked

Examples of AGHAST

1. The news left her aghast.
2. Critics were aghast to see how awful the play was.

Origin of AGHAST

Middle English agast, from past participle of agasten to frighten, from a- (perfective prefix) + gasten to frighten — more at abide, gast

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to AGHAST

Synonyms

affrighted, afraid, alarmed, fearful, frightened, horrified, horror-struck, hysterical (also hysteric), scared, scary, shocked, spooked, terrified, terrorized

Antonyms

fearless, unafraid

Related Words

chicken, fainthearted, fearsome, shrinking, shy, timid, timorous, tremulant, tremulous; agitated, anxious, apprehensive, disconcerted, disquieted, disturbed, funky, jittery, jumpy, nervous, panicked, panicky, panic-stricken, perturbed, skittish, uneasy, upset, worried; phobic; appalled, dismayed, startled; cowed, daunted, intimidated, unnerved; coward, cowardly, craven, gutless, lily-livered, pusillanimous; careful, cautious, heedful, prudent, unadventurous, wary

Near Antonyms

adventuresome, adventurous, audacious, bold, daredevil, daring, dashing, gutsy, plucky, spirited, spunky, venturesome, venturous; brave, courageous, gallant, hardy, heroic (also heroical), intrepid, lionhearted, manful, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, valiant, valorous; assured, collected, composed, confident, cool, sanguine, sure, unperturbed; dauntless, resolute, undaunted

Rhymes with AGHAST

at last, avast, bedfast, Belfast, bombast, broadcast, bypast, contrast, dicast, dismast, downcast, dynast, fantast, flypast, forecast, foremast, forepassed, full blast, gymnast, half-caste, half-mast, handfast, holdfast, lightfast, mainmast, makefast, march-past, miscast, newscast, oblast, offcast, outcast, outcaste, precast, recast, repast, roughcast, sandblast, sand-cast, shamefast, sportscast, topmast, trade-last, typecast, upcast, webcast, windblast