ghastly

adjective

ghast·ly | \ ˈgast-lē

ghastlier; ghastliest

Definition of ghastly

1a : 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

Other Words from ghastly Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about ghastly

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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

Bette’s a comedian with every right to make a joke about that ghastly outfit. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "Bette Midler Sparks Controversy with Vulgar Melania Trump Tweet," 16 Nov. 2018 And this week, Just Jared called attention to the new pictures of Bill in his full Pennywise look, from the ghastly white makeup, to his signature red hair and the spooky grey costume — essentially a traditional clown look gone gothic. — Kara Nesvig, Teen Vogue, "New Photos Show Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise on the Set of “It: Chapter 2”," 18 Sep. 2018 But this sequence's world design, combat-or-stealth path options, and ghastly beasts (particularly packs of sadistic, mutated wolves) reaffirmed my interest in carving out time for the final game on February 22, 2019. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "The 16 surprising new games that made PAX West an absolute blast," 9 Sep. 2018 Visitors will lose their heads over these ghastly decorations! — Megan Stein, Country Living, "Halloween String Lights Are the Spooky Decoration You Never Knew You Needed," 29 Aug. 2018 The Rockets finished with 19 turnovers, and a ghastly offensive rating of 89.4 For Houston to win, all of its role players need to step up. — Rohan Nadkarni, SI.com, "Warriors' Defense and Stephen Curry's Hot Shooting Overwhelm Rockets in Game 3 Blowout," 20 May 2018 Snyder explored the ghastly consequences of tyranny and the breakdown of human values and norms in the center of Europe. — Margaret Macmillan, New York Times, "Are We Traveling the ‘Road to Unfreedom’?," 9 May 2018 My ghastly cries in that hospital disturbed the peace of half the residents of Rongtang Town. — Lu Yang, The New Yorker, "Silver Tiger," 4 June 2017 Four years after the Summer of Love, Clint Eastwood arrived in San Francisco with a scowl, a .44 Magnum and some ghastly interrogation techniques. — Andrew R. Chow, New York Times, "What’s on TV Wednesday: Fireworks and ‘Captain America’," 4 July 2018

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.