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View synonyms for ghastly

ghastly

[ gast-lee ]

adjective

, ghast·li·er, ghast·li·est.
  1. shockingly frightful or dreadful; horrible:

    a ghastly murder.

  2. resembling a ghost, especially in being very pale:

    a ghastly look to his face.

    Synonyms: cadaverous, pallid, deathlike

  3. terrible; very bad:

    a ghastly error.



adverb

  1. Also ghast·li·ly [] ghast·i·ly []. in a ghastly manner; horribly; terribly.
  2. with a deathlike quality.

ghastly

/ ˈɡɑːstlɪ /

adjective

  1. informal.
    very bad or unpleasant
  2. deathly pale; wan
  3. informal.
    extremely unwell; ill

    they felt ghastly after the party

  4. terrifying; horrible
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


adverb

  1. unhealthily; sickly

    ghastly pale

  2. archaic.
    in a horrible or hideous manner
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈghastliness, noun
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Other Words From

  • ghast·li·ness noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ghastly1

1275–1325; Middle English gastly; ghast, -ly
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Word History and Origins

Origin of ghastly1

Old English gāstlīc spiritual; see ghostly
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Example Sentences

Right now, the first order of business is to shake off the defeat and confront the challenge of Donald Trump's ghastly agenda.

From Salon

Republican and conservative hostility to abortion rights has persisted despite the ghastly deaths of pregnant women because doctors were unwilling to terminate their pregnancies because the treatment would break the law in their states, even in an emergency, and expose the doctors to consequences including criminal prosecution.

In interviews he has described the ghastly routine of counting corpses, then seeing his count altered - up or down - by the authorities, depending on the message they wanted to be given.

From BBC

Here’s the background on this ghastly argument.

If this were a graphic novel, all we’d miss is the ghastly effective soundscape of squelches and pops, although that would make it easier to endure a shot of Quaid gnashing shrimp into his maw, or when he strides up to the screen like it’s a urinal and appears to pee in our laps.

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