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

In those days the Everglades were seen as Florida’s ghastly backyard, a region of fearsome reptiles and unsavory characters. —Stanley Stewart, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2025

But the ghastly grit and chaos of this war is unlikely to be kind to a truce. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 11 Mar. 2025

But Rozier had a nightmarish second half, missing all eight of his shots and committing three ghastly turnovers. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025

This one was distilled to its essence in the first period, when the Blackhawks got a power play and proceeded to give the puck away three times in less than 10 seconds, including ghastly turnovers by Seth Jones and Bedard. —Mark Lazerus, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025

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

Rhymes for ghastly

• lastly
• vastly
• steadfastly

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