ghastly

adjective

ghast·​ly ˈgast-lē 

ghastlier; ghastliest

1

a

: terrifyingly horrible to the senses : frightening

a ghastly crime

b

: intensely unpleasant, disagreeable, or objectionable

… such a life seems ghastly in its emptiness and sterility.

—Aldous Huxley

2

: resembling a ghost

3

: very great

a ghastly mistake

4

obsolete : filled with fear

ghastliness noun

ghastly adverb

Synonyms of ghastly

• gruesome
• horrific
• shocking
• horrible
• nightmare
• terrible

Choose the Right Synonym for ghastly

ghastly, grisly, gruesome, macabre, lurid mean horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect.

ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

grisly and gruesome suggest additionally the results of extreme violence or cruelty.

an unusually grisly murder

suffered a gruesome death

macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.

a macabre tale of premature burial

lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder.

the lurid details of a crime

Examples of ghastly in a Sentence

You're making a ghastly mistake.

His room was a ghastly mess.

Recent Examples on the Web

This came despite Golden State being a ghastly 5 of 22 from behind the arc. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026

In the nineties, ghastly revelations about the mining conditions in countries such as Sierra Leone, shed harsh light on the back end of the business. —Emilia Petrarca, New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2026

Behind one of these homes a ghastly discovery has recently been made. —Greg Dixon, NPR, 31 Dec. 2025

Canadian politicians have directed considerable resources to trying to improve these ghastly trends. —David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gastly, from gasten to terrify — more at gast

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for ghastly

• lastly
• vastly
• steadfastly

Kids Definition

ghastly

adjective

ghast·​ly ˈgast-lē 

ghastlier; ghastliest

1

a

: horrible sense 1, shocking

a ghastly crime

b

: very unpleasant, disagreeable, or objectionable

2

: resembling a ghost

a ghastly face

ghastliness noun

ghastly adverb