ghastly
GAST-lee
/ˈɡɑːst.li/
Causing great horror, shock, or fear; extremely unwell or pale in appearance.
Suggests a shocking, pale, or deathlike ugliness or terror that makes a viewer recoil.
The story behind the word. Originally Old English 'gæstlic' meant 'spiritual' or 'ghostlike.' In the Middle Ages, as ghosts were associated with terror, the word shifted to mean 'frightful.' The letter 'h' was inserted in the 16th century under the influence of Flemish printers working in England who spelled 'ghost' with a 'gh'.
Word relationships
- horrific: Horrific focuses on intense violence or fear, whereas ghastly brings in connotations of deathly paleness or ghostliness.
- appalling: Appalling emphasizes moral outrage or extreme poor quality, while ghastly focuses on physical shock or deathlike terror.
- delightful: Delightful causes joy and charm, the polar opposite of ghastly.
- attractive: Attractive pleases the senses, whereas ghastly repulses them.
Commonly confused with
- ghostly: Ghostly means resembling or belonging to a spirit; ghastly means causing shock or deathlike horror.
Word family
- ghastliness (noun): The state or quality of being ghastly.
Collocations
- ghastly pale
- ghastly mistake
- ghastly sight
Example sentences
- "The survivor recounted the ghastly details of the haunted mansion's tragic past." Horror Novel
- "He looked ghastly after coming down with a fever, his skin pale and sunken." Medical Description
Memory hook
GHASTLY looks like GHOSTLY—a sight so ghastly it turns you white as a ghost. Shocking, deathlike horror.
When not to use
Avoid using for minor inconveniences unless deliberately using British hyperbole ('ghastly weather').
Fun facts
- The extra 'h' in words like ghastly and ghost was introduced by William Caxton's Dutch-influenced printers in the 1470s.
Related words
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