Meaning & use
ghastly
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Horrible and shocking, causing fear or disgust.
Grammar: Before a noun or after be: a ghastly crime.
Patterns
- a ghastly sight
- ghastly to look at
The ghastly crash left the road covered in debris.
They found a ghastly scene in the cellar.
The story of the battle was ghastly.
adjectivecomparableinformalBritish
Very unpleasant or of very poor quality, used more lightly in everyday speech.
Grammar: Informal and especially British: ghastly weather.
Patterns
- ghastly weather
- a ghastly mistake
We had a ghastly journey home in the rain.
The wallpaper was a ghastly shade of orange.
What a ghastly mistake to make in front of everyone!
adjectivecomparable
Looking pale and unwell, like a ghost or a dead person.
Grammar: Often described of faces or lighting.
Patterns
- look ghastly
He looked ghastly after the long flight.
The moonlight gave her face a ghastly glow.
She turned a ghastly white at the news.
Word forms
| comparative | ghastlier |
|---|---|
| superlative | ghastliest |
Common combinations
- ghastly accident
- A ghastly accident closed the motorway.
- ghastly mistake
- Forgetting her name was a ghastly mistake.
- look ghastly
- You look ghastly; are you ill?
- ghastly weather
- The ghastly weather ruined the picnic.
- ghastly business
- The whole ghastly business ended in court.
Synonyms and how they differ
- horrible
- Horrible is the everyday word for very bad, while ghastly adds a hint of shock or deathly paleness.
- dreadful
- Dreadful is close in meaning but feels slightly milder and more usual in British speech.
- gruesome
- Gruesome focuses on violent or bloody details, whereas ghastly can describe anything awful.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: ghastly or ghostly?
ghastly vs ghostly
Ghostly means like a ghost, often eerie or faint, but not necessarily horrible.
Practice
Which word best fits? The cold, wet weekend was ____, and everyone stayed indoors.
Choose one answer.
Ghastly can mean very unpleasant, which fits the weather. Lovely and gracious are positive, and fitting does not make sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ghastly”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.