English Explanatory Dictionary

ghastly

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Like a ghost in appearance; death-like; pale; pallid; dismal.
  2. Horrifyingly shocking.
  3. Extremely bad.
adv
  1. In a ghastly manner.

Pronunciation

/ˈɡɑːs(t).li/ /ˈɡas(t).li/ /ˈɡæs(t).li/ en-us-ghastly.ogg LL-Q1860 (eng)-Qwertygiy-ghastly.wav

Word forms

ghastly ghastlier ghastliest more ghastly most ghastly

Etymology

From a conflation of gastly, from Middle English gastly, from gasten (from Old English gǣstan (“to torment, frighten”)) + -ly, and ghostly (which was also spelt gastlich in Middle English). Equivalent to ghast/gast + -ly. Spelling with gh developed in the 16th century due to the conflation.

Synonyms

lurid grisly gruesome ghastily ghastlily

Derived words

ghast ghastily ghastlily ghastliness unghastly
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