ghastly

play

adjective ghast·ly \ ˈgast-lē \

Definition of ghastly

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 obsolete :filled with fear

4 :very great

a ghastly mistake

—

ghastliness

noun

—

ghastly

adverb

See ghastly defined for English-language learners

See ghastly defined for kids

Examples of ghastly in a Sentence

You're making a ghastly mistake.
His room was a ghastly mess.

Recent Examples of ghastly from the Web

Hurricane Harvey's ghastly flooding in the Houston area is sure to focus political attention on the National Flood Insurance Program, a controversial government benefit that makes home ownership affordable to many in south Louisiana.

— drew broach, NOLA.com, "Harvey flooding focuses attention on troubled flood insurance program," 28 Aug. 2017
Outside of Ervin Santana (3.33 ERA) and Jose Berrios (3.99 ERA), their rotation is in ghastly shape.

— jay jaffe, SI.com, "Will There Be An Eclipse In The Few Division Races Worth Following This Season?," 21 Aug. 2017
Anyone commenting on this ghastly event ought to be able to prioritize his righteous rage.

— andrew c. mccarthy, National Review, "On Charlottesville, Trump, and Anti-Americanism," 19 Aug. 2017
The corpse of Hamlet’s father (Coster, nimbly swapping parts before our eyes) lies prostrate on a table strewn with ghastly funeral flowers, a tourniquet dangling from his arm.

— charles mcnulty, latimes.com, "Who is Hamlet? Three actors make their case," 19 Aug. 2017
Both publish videos exposing the ghastly acts of torture and violence that have come to define the group to the wider world.

— jackson holahan, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Rescued from ISIS' recounts a father's harrowing journey to save his son," 15 Aug. 2017
Attackers beheaded their enemies and even ate their organs in ghastly rituals.

— The Economist, "Borneo againIndonesian Islamists open a new front in their war on tolerance," 20 July 2017
Spell: There is, hidden from view, tucked away in the West 30's on the north end of town, heartbreaking poverty and ghastly living conditions that some of our more vulnerable neighbors endure daily.

— ann benoit, NOLA.com, "Covington community activist Annie Spell: 'If I'm not going to do something, who will?'," 19 July 2017
Jon Snow has been named King of the North Having reunited with his sister Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) and reclaimed Winterfell from the ghastly Boltons, Jon Snow (Kit Harington) was proclaimed King of the North.

— tracy brown, latimes.com, "Where were we? Catching up with 'Game of Thrones'," 15 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ghastly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ghastly

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

ghastly Synonyms

Synonyms

appalling, atrocious, awful, dreadful, frightful, horrible, grisly, gruesome (also grewsome), hideous, horrendous, horrid, horrific, horrifying, lurid, macabre, monstrous, nightmare, nightmarish, shocking, terrible, terrific

Antonyms

light, moderate, soft

Near Antonyms

agreeable, appealing, attractive, delectable, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, inviting, pleasant, pleasing, pleasurable, satisfying, welcome; cheering, comforting, soothing

Synonym Discussion of 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

GHASTLY Defined for English Language Learners

ghastly

play

adjective

Definition of ghastly for English Language Learners

: very shocking or horrible
: very bad

GHASTLY Defined for Kids

ghastly

play

adjective ghast·ly \ ˈgast-lē \

Definition of ghastly for Students

ghastlier; ghastliest

1 :very shocking or horrible

a ghastly crime

a ghastly mistake

2 :like a ghost :pale

a ghastly face

Learn More about ghastly

See words that rhyme with ghastly Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ghastly Spanish Central: Translation of ghastly Nglish: Translation of ghastly for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ghastly for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up ghastly? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

ghastly

Definition of ghastly

ghastliness

ghastly

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of ghastly in a Sentence

Recent Examples of ghastly from the Web

Origin and Etymology of ghastly

ghastly Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of ghastly

GHASTLY Defined for English Language Learners

ghastly

Definition of ghastly for English Language Learners

GHASTLY Defined for Kids

ghastly

Definition of ghastly for Students

Learn More about ghastly

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066