1
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
a ghastly murder that shocked even hard-bitten detectives
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
I'm afraid that there's been a ghastly misunderstanding
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in terrifying
causing fear
a ghastly crime that made local residents afraid to go out at night
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of ghastly
No one wants to see a return to the dark days when children lay in hospital wards, paralyzed, confined to ghastly iron lungs.
—
Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for ghastly 
Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for ghastly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghastly
Adjective
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Ten people were murdered in the New York City subway system last year — including the recent, random and gruesome immolation of a homeless New Jersey woman asleep on a Brooklyn train — up from five murders in 2023.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
16 Jan. 2025
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Did Hawthorne base these characters on the Rev. Ephraim Avery and his young congregant Sarah Maria Cornell, whose gruesome death in 1832 in Fall River, 50 miles south of Boston, shocked all of New England?—
Liesl Schillinger,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The Chiefs tallied another three points from Butker as both defenses were noticeably intense and solid as the first quarter ended 6-3 Kansas City.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN,
19 Jan. 2025
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The single performs even better on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, which is compiled in the same way as the Rock Digital Song Sales list, only the focus is exclusively on the more intense, harder style of the genre.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Cumberbatch, in a few moments, expresses the depth of this father’s agony, the terrifying chasm of it.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2025
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Six episodes centre on a variety of different dinosaurs, from terrifying carnivores to docile herbivores.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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And like the residents of the City of Angels, they are effected by the horrific fires which have suddenly engulfed the area.—
Tribune Content Agency,
The Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2025
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This individual’s conduct and language were vile, disgusting, unacceptable, and horrific and have no place in our workplace and society.—
Ryan Gaydos,
Fox News,
15 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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In 2002, the Israeli military occupied the camp after 10 days of intensive fighting, according to the UN, during which time more than 400 houses were destroyed and over a quarter of the camp’s population was displaced.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN,
24 Jan. 2025
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The initial iteration of the program, launched with partners Nike and Right to Dream, gave six Ghanaian women the chance to participate in a three-month intensive coaches training experience.—
Vitas Carosella,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Recommended Trump moves from ‘American carnage’ to ‘a horrible betrayal’ in second inaugural Juries also convicted some on charges of seditious conspiracy, which refers to activities that undermine a state without directly attacking it.—
Patrik Jonsson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
24 Jan. 2025
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Traffic was horrible and the private crews can’t turn on a siren, ignore traffic laws, and drive on the wrong side of the road like public firefighters.—
Joseph Bien-Kahn,
Rolling Stone,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But for one couple, their big day was nearly derailed by a shocking incident involving an uninvited guest.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
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When a shocking event takes place, many organizations try to send communications out quickly—and these messages tend to be rushed, emotionally driven and sometimes poorly worded or executed.—
Charlotte Sweeney OBE,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Gerulaitis’s gallows humour deflects from the fact that his terrible records against Connors and Borg took a big toll on his confidence.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
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While this is terrible for the environment, customer satisfaction, and retailers’ bottom lines, the truth is the industry has created a monster and easy and free returns have become the basic consumer expectation.—
Steve Dennis,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near ghastly
Cite this Entry
“Ghastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghastly. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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