1
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
a ghastly murder that shocked even hard-bitten detectives
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ghastly
And a joyous family reunion soon turns into a ghastly nightmare.
—
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Apr. 2026
The ghastly kills are there — innards are spilled on floors, knives go through temples, heads stuck on pikes expel vomitous discharge — but there’s little of the preceding back-and-forth that made such scenes notable in the past and at least conceptually justified the grotesquerie.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
In the two seasons before Motta’s return, the Mavericks were a ghastly 24-140 under Richie Adubato and Quinn Buckner.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
Maye had three turnovers in Super Bowl 60, including a ghastly, unforced interception that snuffed a semi-decent comeback chance.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ghastly
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Apr. 2026
The ghastly kills are there — innards are spilled on floors, knives go through temples, heads stuck on pikes expel vomitous discharge — but there’s little of the preceding back-and-forth that made such scenes notable in the past and at least conceptually justified the grotesquerie.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
In the two seasons before Motta’s return, the Mavericks were a ghastly 24-140 under Richie Adubato and Quinn Buckner.
—Brad Townsend, Dallas Morning News, 26 Feb. 2026
Maye had three turnovers in Super Bowl 60, including a ghastly, unforced interception that snuffed a semi-decent comeback chance.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for ghastly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghastly
Adjective
-
With Chubb and Phillips still on the mend from gruesome injuries the year prior, the then-rookie was thought to be the heir apparent.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
-
The case has been widely reported by China’s heavily state censored media for the gruesome details of how Xu plotted the murder.—
Sylvie Zhuang,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
But today’s wars of words seem designed to fuel intense polarization, not to change minds.—
Lisa Pavia-Higel,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
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Big tech giants including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have prioritized growing their chips business to rely less on AI chipmaker Nvidia, who reported a strong first quarter last week, even as competition is getting more intense from rivals including Advanced Micro Devices and Broadcom.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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And Kyle Busch himself won his first Cup championship in 2015 after suffering a broken right leg and a broken left ankle in a terrifying crash at Daytona.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 May 2026
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Robertson plays a beautiful rising but troubled Hollywood starlet who accepts what appears to be the perfect secluded retreat, only to uncover a terrifying web of secrets connected to the property’s mysterious caretaker and the haunting legacy hidden deep within its walls.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Not just their physical injuries, horrific in themselves.—
Susan Rona,
Time,
1 June 2026
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Accompanying the violence, both the Naxals and the security forces – including local militia raised to combat the rebels – have been accused of horrific human rights abuses, including abductions, torture and rape.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
For Paul, dragging long sheets of metal was intensive.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
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Distillation is a process in which a small, less resource-intensive model learns to mimic a large, expensive one.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
His slugging percentage is horrible.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 May 2026
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Some of it had to do with horrible tragedy, some because hopefuls could not see the math working out for them.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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But, following a string of disappointing national-team performances, including failing to qualify for the 1958 World Cup and shocking losses to both the Soviet Union and North Korea at the 1966 edition, the league reinstated the ban.—
Albert Samaha,
New Yorker,
30 May 2026
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Somebody Somewhere — a naturalistic, moving three-season performance that culminated in a shocking Emmy win for best supporting actor last year.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
Adjective
-
Mayor and Governor are terrible.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
28 May 2026
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From scandals, to corny tactics and platforms, to terrible analysis, this gubernatorial race has been a contest to forget.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ghastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghastly. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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