1
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
a ghastly murder that shocked even hard-bitten detectives
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
I'm afraid that there's been a ghastly misunderstanding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in terrifying
causing fear
a ghastly crime that made local residents afraid to go out at night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of ghastly
From a certain perspective, the traps that Ibsen had laid for his characters were hilariously well made, and the one character who got the ghastly humor within the play itself was Hedda.
—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
There’s no ghastly passenger touchscreen, no dimwitted haptic touchpads and no infuriating AI assistant.
—
Alistair Charlton,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
The 2008 track, created the same year as Salem’s similar sounding Water EP, is a hybrid of ghastly shoegaze and nod-off trap that no one in shoegaze’s ongoing renaissance has even tried to build upon.
—
Eli Enis,
Pitchfork,
21 May 2026
Car launches are generally ghastly events, and this was way down there with the most hideous… and perhaps gave a clue as to why VW struggles to match its huge European sales success in America.
—
New Atlas,
10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ghastly
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
There’s no ghastly passenger touchscreen, no dimwitted haptic touchpads and no infuriating AI assistant.
—
Alistair Charlton,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
The 2008 track, created the same year as Salem’s similar sounding Water EP, is a hybrid of ghastly shoegaze and nod-off trap that no one in shoegaze’s ongoing renaissance has even tried to build upon.
—
Eli Enis,
Pitchfork,
21 May 2026
Car launches are generally ghastly events, and this was way down there with the most hideous… and perhaps gave a clue as to why VW struggles to match its huge European sales success in America.
—
New Atlas,
10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ghastly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghastly
Adjective
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Chris Brown was found liable by a Los Angeles jury on Tuesday for $13 million in the gruesome case of a dog that mauled and disfigured his housekeeper at his home in 2020.
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But as the days dragged on, headlines about power outages and water shortages took a back seat to a far more gruesome and horrific reality.
Adjective
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Indie Shakes managing director David Melville distills his production around scenes of intense conflict.
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As the planet warms, extreme heat events are becoming more common, intense and long-lasting.
Adjective
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The full extent of the casualties and damage may not be clear for many hours, but reports and videos show extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure across the country as residents face a terrifying night in the streets.
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Then the assailant turns to face the camera; but inside a hoodie, the face is no face, just a terrifying horror movie mask.
Adjective
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Chicago city officials have never forgotten the lessons of the historic and horrific heat wave of July 1995, which killed 739 people in the Chicago area.
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Many of these countries are well known for horrific human rights abuses, lack of justice and abysmal detention conditions.
Adjective
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Housed in remote data centers whose energy-intensive maintenance perpetuates the changing environmental conditions that threaten Tuvalu’s existence, the attempt to redeposit territory digitally drives home the paradoxes, and costs, of storage.
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Qatari mediators returned to the Iranian capital for 17 hours of what the diplomat described as intensive negotiations.
Adjective
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The Red Sox offense has been horrible this season, but Contreras has been everything the club could have hoped for.
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Your cab driver is taking you on a horrible route.
Adjective
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The 29-year-old began her comeback Saturday at the American Classic in Champlin, Minnesota, just days after announcing her shocking return to the sport.
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Cape Verde earned three draws in the group stage – the shocking Spain result, running with Uruguay in the second match and ending up in a scoreless draw with Saudi Arabia in Houston on Friday.
Adjective
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Thank you to everyone who read or contributed to this column over the years, who reached out to me with story ideas or tips, or complimented my terrible artwork.
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Visitors will see his Rough Riders uniform; the 1884 diary grieving his terrible loss; and the eyeglasses case, speech and shirt from the 1912 assassination attempt against him.
Cite this Entry
“Ghastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghastly. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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