aghast

adjective

ə-ˈgast How to pronounce aghast (audio)
Definition of aghastnext
as in terrified
filled with fear or dread I stood there, aghast, as the vile monster made its way toward me

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of aghast Columns of black smoke rise from targets, often filmed by aghast Russians. — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 28 July 2026 The crowd was a rainbow mixture of colors, age groups and languages, all chatting and laughing with one another while standing above a granite rendering of Confederate leaders who would have been aghast at what their monument had become. — John Blake, CNN Money, 19 July 2026 Classical studies majors will surely be aghast at how the likes of Zeus and Poseidon are sublimated into social mores and choppy waves (just as Zendaya fans might rage at how her disapproving Athena only cameos as Odysseus’ invisible friend). — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 15 July 2026 All are aghast, save Ser Torrhen Manderly, who applauds the farce. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for aghast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aghast
  1. terrified
  2. frightened
  3. afraid
  4. horrified
  5. scared
  6. shocked
  7. alarmed
Adjective
  • Instead, coaches have become more and more terrified through the years of seeing their players getting hurt during largely meaningless games in August.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Tempe police ultimately convinced the couple, who were initially too terrified to report the incident, to share what had happened to them, documents said.
    — Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of terrified
Adjective
  • Michael was still frightened and disoriented by what had taken place over spring break.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Roosevelt offered frightened and dispirited Americans a vision of a secure future.
    — John T. Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • The Florida International University senior struggled to attend classes and stopped driving – afraid something bad would happen.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The 6-foot-6, 238-pounder is basically a gigantic receiver who isn’t afraid to put his hand in the dirt and block.
    — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of afraid
Adjective
  • When Tae-ha starts a fire that erupts into an explosion, a horrified Eun-sae begins to remember her life before amnesia.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In one early scene, a horrified Pam stares into her bathroom mirror, covered head to toe in blood.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026
Definition of horrified
Adjective
  • Smelling human hormones of fear, Whistler would have known that Mary was scared.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Across the playground, Star climbed to the top of a slide, then got too scared to come down.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • The man who was shocked was taken to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan with life-threatening injuries.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But something fascinating was happening behind the scenes, coinciding with the disaster that had sent Olin overseas and left her bandmates, Augustin and Nathan Slone — located in New York City — shocked.
    — Julius Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of shocked
Adjective
  • This week’s soaring temperatures alarmed students and parents of the Torrance Unified School District, where some campuses do not have air conditioning.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Some former workers are alarmed that the data sale could possibly harm the public.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of alarmed

Browse Nearby Words

aggros
aghast
agile
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Aghast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aghast. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shofar

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All