ghastly

• POS: Adjective, Adverb
• HYPHEN: ghast=ly

CIDE DICTIONARY

ghastly, a. [OE. gastlich, gastli, fearful, causing fear, fr. gasten to terrify, AS. gæstan. Cf. Aghast, Gast, Gaze, Ghostly.].

•  Like a ghost in appearance; deathlike; pale; pallid; dismal.  [1913 Webster]

  "Each turned his face with a ghastly pang."  [1913 Webster]

  "His face was so ghastly that it could scarcely be recognized."  [1913 Webster]
•  Horrible; shocking; dreadful; hideous.  [1913 Webster]

  "Mangled with ghastly wounds through plate and mail."  [1913 Webster]

ghastly, adv. 

 In a ghastly manner; hideously.  [1913 Webster]
"Staring full ghastly like a strangled man."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

ghastly, adj. & adv.
--adj. (ghastlier, ghastliest)
1 horrible, frightful.
2 colloq. objectionable, unpleasant.
3 deathlike, pallid.
--adv. in a ghastly or sickly way (ghastly pale).

Derivative

ghastlily adv. ghastliness n.

Etymology

ME gastlich f. obs. gast terrify: gh after ghost

THESAURUS

ghastly

achromatic, achromic, ailing, anemic, appalling, ashen, ashy, astounding, awe-inspiring, awesome, awful, bad, bled white, bloodless, blue, cadaverous, charnel, chloranemic, colorless, corpselike, dead, deadly, deadly pale, deathlike, deathly, deathly pale, dim, dimmed, dingy, dire, direful, discolored, disgusting, drawn, dread, dreaded, dreadful, dull, eerie, etiolated, exsanguinated, exsanguine, exsanguineous, faded, faint, fallow, fell, flat, forbidding, formidable, foul, frightening, frightful, ghostlike, ghostly, ghoulish, gray, grim, grisly, gross, gruesome, haggard, hideous, horrendous, horrible, horrid, horrific, horrifying, hueless, hypochromic, ill, lackluster, leaden, livid, loathsome, lurid, lusterless, macabre, mat, mealy, morbid, mortuary, muddy, nauseant, nauseating, neutral, offensive, pale, pale as death, pale-faced, pallid, pasty, redoubtable, repellent, repelling, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sallow, scary, schrecklich, sepulchral, shadowy, shocking, sick, sickening, sickly, spectral, tallow-faced, terrible, terrific, terrifying, toneless, tremendous, ugly, uncanny, uncolored, unearthly, wan, ward, washed-out, waxen, weak, weird, whey-faced, white

ROGET THESAURUS

ghastly

Ugliness

N ugliness, deformity, inelegance, acomia, disfigurement, want of symmetry, inconcinnity, distortion, squalor, forbidding countenance, vinegar aspect, hanging look, wry face, spretae injuria formae, eyesore, object, witch, hag, figure, sight, fright, monster, dog, woofer, pig, octopus, specter, scarecrow, harridan, satyr, toad, monkey, baboon, Caliban, Aesop, monstrum horrendum informe ingens cui lumen adempt, ugly, ugly as sin, ugly as a toad, ugly as a scarecrow, ugly as a dead monkey, plain, bald (unadorned), homely, ordinary, unornamental, inartistic, unsightly, unseemly, uncomely, unlovely, unshapely, sightless, seemless, not fit to be seen, unbeauteous, unbeautiful, beautiless, semibeautiful, shapeless, misshapen, misproportioned, monstrous, gaunt, dumpy, curtailed of its fair proportions, ill-made, ill- shaped, ill-proportioned, crooked, hard featured, hard visaged, ill-favored, hard-favored, evil-favored, ill-looking, unprepossessing, unattractive, uninviting, unpleasing, graceless, inelegant, ungraceful, ungainly, uncouth, stiff, rugged, rough, gross, rude, awkward, clumsy, slouching, rickety, gawky, lumping, lumpish, lumbering, hulky, hulking, unwieldy, squalid, haggard, grim, grim faced, grim visaged, grisly, ghastly, ghost like, death like, cadaverous, grewsome, gruesome, frightful, hideous, odious, uncanny, forbidding, repellant, repulsive, repugnant, grotesque, bizarre, grody, grody to the max, horrid, horrible, shocking, foul, dingy, gaudy, disfigured, discolored.

Fear

N fear, timidity, diffidence, want of confidence, apprehensiveness, fearfulness, solicitude, anxiety, care, apprehension, misgiving, feeze, mistrust, suspicion, qualm, hesitation, nervousness, restlessness, inquietude, disquietude, worry, concern, batophobia, heartquake, flutter, trepidation, fear and trembling, perturbation, tremor, quivering, shaking, trembling, throbbing heart, palpitation, ague fit, cold sweat, abject fear, mortal funk, heartsinking, despondency, despair, fright, affright, affrightment, boof alarm, dread, awe, terror, horror, dismay, consternation, panic, scare, stampede (of horses), intimidation, terrorism, reign of terror, bug bear, bugaboo, scarecrow, hobgoblin, nightmare, Gorgon, mormo, ogre, Hurlothrumbo, raw head and bloody bones, fee-faw-fum, bete noire, enfant terrible, alarmist, fearing, frightened, in fear, in a fright, haunted with the fear of, afeard, afraid, fearful, timid, timorous, nervous, diffident, coy, faint- hearted, tremulous, shaky, afraid of one's shadow, apprehensive, restless, fidgety, more frightened than hurt, aghast, awe-stricken, horror-stricken, terror-stricken, panic- stricken, awestruck, awe-stricken, horror-struck, frightened to death, white as a sheet, pale, pale as a ghost, pale as death, pale as ashes, breathless, in hysterics, inspiring fear, alarming, formidable, redoubtable, perilous, portentous, fearful, dread, dreadful, fell, dire, direful, shocking, terrible, terrific, tremendous, horrid, horrible, horrific, ghastly, awful, awe-inspiring, revolting, Gorgonian, in terrorem, Int, angels and ministers of grace defend us!, ante tubam trepidat, horresco referens, one's heart failing one, obstupui steteruntque comae et vox faucibus haesit, a dagger of the mind, expertus metuit, fain would I climb but that I fear to fall, fear is the parent of cruelty, Gorgons and hydras and chimeras dire, omnia tuta timens, our fears do make us traitors.

Achromatism

N achromatism, decoloration, discoloration, pallor, pallidness, pallidity, paleness, etiolation, neutral tint, monochrome, black and white, uncolored &c (color), colorless, achromatic, aplanatic, etiolate, etiolated, hueless, pale, pallid, palefaced, tallow-faced, faint, dull, cold, muddy, leaden, dun, wan, sallow, dead, dingy, ashy, ashen, ghastly, cadaverous, glassy, lackluster, discolored, light-colored, fair, blond, white, pale as death, pale as ashes, pale as a witch, pale as a ghost, pale as a corpse, white as a corpse.