ghast´li|ly

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. 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|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 — Ghast, v. t. [OE. gasten. See {Ghastly}, a.] To strike aghast; to affright. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Ghasted by the noise I made. Full suddenly he fled. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ghast — The word ghast may either be a recent back formation, arising from either the word , which came from Anglo Saxon gāstlīc = like a ghost ; or the word , from the Middle English gāstēn to frighten. Or alternatively Lovecraft may have derived it… …   Wikipedia

  • 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 …   Useful english dictionary

  • ghast|ful — «GAST fuhl, GAHST », adjective. Archaic. 1. dreadful; terrible. 2. fearful; scared. Also, gastful …   Useful english dictionary

  • Ghast (Dungeons & Dragons) — Infobox D D creature name=Ghast alignment=chaotic evil type=Undead subtype= source= first= mythical= based= wizards image URL=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35 gallery/MM35 PG119.jpg OGL stats URL=http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/ghoul.htmI… …   Wikipedia

  • ghast — adjective Date: 1622 archaic ghastly …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • ghast — /gast, gahst/, adj. Archaic. ghastly. [1350 1400; ME gast afraid, orig. ptp. of gasten GAST; cf. AGHAST] * * * …   Universalium

  • ghast — ˈgast, aa(ə) , ai , ȧ adjective Etymology: by shortening archaic : ghastly …   Useful english dictionary

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