ghastly

adjective

ghast·​ly ˈgast-lē 

ghastlier; ghastliest

1

a

: 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

ghastliness noun

ghastly adverb

Synonyms

• appalling
• atrocious
• awful
• dreadful
• frightful
• grisly
• gruesome
• grewsome
• hideous
• horrendous
• horrible
• horrid
• horrific
• horrifying
• lurid
• macabre
• monstrous
• nightmare
• nightmarish
• shocking
• terrible
• terrific

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

Different versions of the nude Madonna might show a ghastly object of both fear and desire, or a liberated subject. —Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024

The project looks set to explore the same sense of unease surrounding daily life under Augusto Pinochet sparked by the ghastly deeds carried out by his regime. —John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024

In 1904, as stories of players sustaining ghastly injuries led to calls for the game to be banned, Theodore Roosevelt convened a summit at the White House to explore new rules and regulations for the sport. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gastly, from gasten to terrify — more at gast

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

ghastly

adjective

ghast·​ly ˈgast-lē 

ghastlier; ghastliest

1

a

: horrible sense 1, shocking

a ghastly crime

b

: very unpleasant, disagreeable, or objectionable

2

: resembling a ghost

a ghastly face

ghastliness noun

ghastly adverb