ghast´li|ness

ghast´li|ness
ghast|ly «GAST lee, GAHST-», adjective, -li|er, -li|est, adverb.
–adj.
1. causing terror; horrible; frightful; shocking: »

Murder is a ghastly crime.

2. a) like a dead person or ghost; deathly pale: »

That very sick man looks ghastly. Faces…ghastly with guilt and fear (Hawthorne).

 SYNONYM(S): deathlike, pallid. b) (of light) lurid.
3. Informal. very bad; shocking: »

a ghastly failure.

4. Obsolete. terrified.
–adv.
in a ghastly manner.
╂[Middle English gastliche frightening, perhaps < Old English gāstlic of the spirit, spiritual < gāst ghost + -lic -ly1]
–ghast´li|ly, adverb.
–ghast´li|ness, noun.
Synonym Study adjective. 1 Ghastly, grisly, horrible mean such as to cause terror or dread. Ghastly suggests the dread caused by the sight of death or anything deathlike: »

We saw a ghastly accident.

Grisly suggests terror of the kind that makes one shudder: »

Robbing graves is grisly.

Horrible emphasizes the feeling of horror caused by what is described: »

It was a horrible murder.


Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • ghast — ghast; ghast·ful; ghast·li·ly; ghast·li·ness; ghast·ly; ghast·ful·ly; ghast·i·ly; …   English syllables

  • ghast´li|ly — ghast|ly «GAST lee, GAHST », adjective, li|er, li|est, adverb. –adj. 1. causing terror; horrible; frightful; shocking: »Murder is a ghastly crime. 2 …   Useful english dictionary

  • ghast|ly — «GAST lee, GAHST », adjective, li|er, li|est, adverb. –adj. 1. causing terror; horrible; frightful; shocking: »Murder is a ghastly crime. 2 …   Useful english dictionary

  • a|ghast´ness — a|ghast «uh GAST, GAHST», adjective. struck with surprise or horror; filled with shocked amazement: »My friend s suggestion that we should run away from home left my sister aghast. ╂[past participle of obsolete agast terrify < Old English on… …   Useful english dictionary

  • a|ghast — «uh GAST, GAHST», adjective. struck with surprise or horror; filled with shocked amazement: »My friend s suggestion that we should run away from home left my sister aghast. ╂[past participle of obsolete agast terrify < Old English on on +… …   Useful english dictionary

  • ghastliness — ghast·li·ness …   English syllables

  • ghastly — ghast•ly [[t]ˈgæst li, ˈgɑst [/t]] adj. li•er, li•est, adv. 1) shockingly frightful or dreadful; horrible: a ghastly murder[/ex] 2) resembling a ghost, esp. in being very pale; cadaverous 3) terrible; very bad: a ghastly error[/ex] 4) in a… …   From formal English to slang

  • li — ab·o·li·tion; ab·o·li·tion·ary; ab·o·li·tion·dom; ab·o·li·tion·ism; ab·o·li·tion·ist; ab·o·li·tion·ize; acan·tho·ceph·a·li; acan·tho·li·mon; aceph·a·li·na; acet·y·li·za·tion; acho·li; ade·lo·spon·dy·li; ae·go·li·us; ae·o·li·an·ly; ae·tha·li·oid;… …   English syllables

  • Ghastliness — Ghast li*ness, n. The state of being ghastly; a deathlike look. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • ghastness — ghastˈness noun Dread • • • Main Entry: ↑ghast …   Useful english dictionary

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