ghastly

adjective

ghast·ly ˈgast-lē

ghastlier; ghastliest

Synonyms of ghastly next

: terrifyingly horrible to the senses : frightening

a ghastly crime

: intensely unpleasant, disagreeable, or objectionable

such a life seems ghastly in its emptiness and sterility—

Aldous Huxley

: resembling a ghost

obsolete : filled with fear

: 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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Without the ball… Chelsea under Maresca are on pace to concede 45 goals in the Premier League this season — not the record of an elite defence, but one that would represent a marked improvement on the ghastly 63 goals shipped by Pochettino’s team in 2023-24. —

Liam Twomey, The Athletic, 20 Nov. 2024 To curb this ghastly 19th-century practice, states adopted laws giving schools authority to use unclaimed bodies for student training and experiments. —

Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News, 16 Sep. 2024 The prospect of millions of people who’ve come to America to make a better life for themselves being rounded up and shipped out is ghastly. —

Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024 And there's a timeless quality, too, because, well, ghastly kids are always ghastly. 49. —

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ghastly