ghastly

adjective

ghast·​ly ˈgast-lē How to pronounce ghastly (audio)
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 sterilityAldous Huxley
2
: resembling a ghost
3
obsolete : filled with fear
4
: very great
a ghastly mistake
ghastliness noun
ghastly adverb
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 The ghastliest days in prison are the birthdays of close family, especially children. Alexei Navalny, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024 Was this ghastly outcome for the Palestinians and Israel worth corrupting the rule of law in our own society? Seyward Darby, Longreads, 9 Oct. 2024 Like a slasher movie with a happy ending, this Sox crew went through a series of ghastly experiences and somehow came out the other end. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2024 Whether this is in fact the real world, or just some ghastly illusion, also remains to be seen. Erik Kain, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ghastly 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ghastly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ghastly was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ghastly

Cite this Entry

“Ghastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghastly. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

ghastly

adjective
ghast·​ly ˈgast-lē How to pronounce ghastly (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on ghastly

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