ghastly

adjective

ghast·​ly ˈgast-lē How to pronounce ghastly (audio)
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 sterilityAldous Huxley
2
: resembling a ghost
3
obsolete : filled with fear
4
: very great
a ghastly mistake
ghastliness noun
ghastly adverb
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
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.
For a wildly imaginative world-building project, the film is mostly ghastly to look at, all flat green-screen and blocky sets for the cast to scramble upon. Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 3 Apr. 2025 At age 6, little Richie Starkey contracted a ghastly case of peritonitis. Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2025 The director Mauricio Eça films Francisco’s brutal assaults in close-up, giving us ghastly views of what the creep sees through bulging eyes. Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025 The Rangers did just enough wrong to have to sweat this one out, with a few ghastly turnovers, a short-handed goal against and another o-fer on the power play, which is 2 for its last 41. Arthur Staple, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ghastly

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ghastly was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ghastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghastly. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

ghastly

adjective
ghast·​ly ˈgast-lē How to pronounce ghastly (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on ghastly

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