ghastly

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

Also spelled gashly

US /ˈɡæstli/ UK /ˈɡɑːstli/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
causing great horror or shock; extremely unpleasant

The accident scene was a ghastly sight.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · causing great horror or... horrible gruesome grisly hideous frightful dreadful macabre

Opposites

pleasant delightful lovely wonderful

Word family

Forms ghastliness

Derived forms ghastliness

Related forms aghast ghostghastful

Simplified etymology

Ghastly, recorded since Middle English, derives from Old English gaestan ‘to frighten or terrify’, the same source as aghast. Its later sense ‘objectionable’ dates from the mid-19th century.

Etymology

From Middle English gastly ('terrifying'), from gasten ('to terrify'), from Old English gǣstan ('to frighten'). The silent gh- spelling was influenced by ghost.

gastly Middle English gǣstan Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# ghastly

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈɡæstli/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɡɑːstli/

## Meanings
1. causing great horror or shock; extremely unpleasant

## Examples
- The accident scene was a ghastly sight.

## Synonyms
- horrible
- gruesome
- grisly
- hideous
- frightful
- dreadful
- macabre

## Antonyms
- pleasant
- delightful
- lovely
- wonderful

## Derived Forms
- ghastliness

## Related Forms
- aghast
- ghost
- ghastful

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: gastly
- Root: gǣstan

## Etymology
From Middle English gastly ('terrifying'), from gasten ('to terrify'), from Old English gǣstan ('to frighten'). The silent gh- spelling was influenced by ghost.

## AI Etymology
Ghastly comes from Middle English gastly ('terrifying'), from gasten ('to terrify'), from Old English gǣstan ('to frighten'). The silent gh- spelling was influenced by ghost. The historical trail runs through Middle English gastly and Old English gǣstan. In modern use it means causing great horror or shock; extremely unpleasant. Derived formations include ghastliness; related forms include aghast, ghost, ghastful.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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