Definition of ghastly
ghastlier
;ghastliest
1a : terrifyingly horrible to the senses : frightening a ghastly crimeb : 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
nounghastly
adverbIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of ghastly in a Sentence
You're making a ghastly mistake.
His room was a ghastly mess.
Origin and Etymology of ghastly
Middle English gastly, from gasten to terrify — more at gast
First Known Use: 14th century
Synonym Discussion of ghastly
GHASTLY Defined for English Language Learners
ghastly
playDefinition of ghastly for English Language Learners
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: very shocking or horrible
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: very bad
GHASTLY Defined for Kids
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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
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