ghastly

English

Etymology

From a conflation of a derivation of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old English gǣstan (“to torment, frighten”) with the suffix -lic, and ghostly (which was also spelt "gastlich" in Middle English). Equivalent to ghast/gast + -ly. Spelling with 'gh' developed 16th century due to the conflation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑːs(t).li/
• IPA^(key): /ˈɡæs(t).li/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

ghastly (comparative ghastlier, superlative ghastliest)

1. Like a ghost in appearance; death-like; pale; pallid; dismal.
   • (Can we date this quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Each turned his face with a ghastly pang.

   • (Can we date this quote by Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     His face was so ghastly that it could scarcely be recognized.

2. Horrifyingly shocking.
   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Mangled with ghastly wounds through plate and mail.

   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter 1, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:

     They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.

3. Extremely bad.

   The play was simply ghastly.

Synonyms

• (sickly pale): See also Thesaurus:pallid
• (horrifyingly shocking): lurid

Translations

Like a ghost in appearance; death-like; pale; pallid

• Bulgarian: мъртвешки (bg) (mǎrtveški), смъртноблед (smǎrtnobled)
• Finnish: kalpea (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Georgian: მკვდრისფერდადებული (mḳvdrisperdadebuli), გაფითრებული (gapitrebuli), ფერწასული (perc̣asuli)
• Spanish: cadavérico

horrifyingly shocking

• Bulgarian: ужасен (bg) (užasen), страхотен (bg) (strahoten)
• Dutch: afgrijselijk (nl), afschuwelijk (nl), verschrikkelijk (nl)
• Finnish: kauhistuttava (fi), kauhea (fi), kamala (fi), kaamea (fi)
• French: épouvantable (fr), effrayant (fr)
• Georgian: საზარელი (sazareli), საშინელი (sašineli), შემზარავი (šemzaravi), შემაძრწუნებელი (šemaʒrc̣unebeli)
• German: grässlich (de), gespenstisch (de), haarsträubend (de)
• Hungarian: rettenetes (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: terrificante (it), spaventoso (it) m, agghiacciante (it)
• Portuguese: assustador (pt), horripilante (pt), medonho (pt)
• Romanian: oribil (ro), groaznic (ro)
• Russian: ужа́сный (ru) (užásnyj), стра́шный (ru) (strášnyj)
• Spanish: espantoso, horripilante

extremely bad

• Dutch: afgrijselijk (nl), afschuwelijk (nl), verschrikkelijk (nl), abominabel (nl)
• Finnish: kauhea (fi), kamala (fi), kaamea (fi)
• French: affreux (fr), horrible (fr)
• Georgian: საზიზღარი (sazizɣari), საშინელი (sašineli), შემზარავი (šemzaravi)
• German: schauderhaft (de)
• Hungarian: szörnyű (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: terribile (it), pessimo (it) m, obbrobrioso (it), orribile (it)
• Romanian: lamentabil (ro)
• Russian: отврати́тельный (ru) (otvratítelʹnyj)
• Spanish: malísimo (es), horrible (es), terrible (es), horripilante
• Swedish: förskräcklig (sv), hemsk (sv)

Adverb

ghastly (not comparable)

1. In a ghastly manner.
   • 1921, William Dudley Pelley, The Fog: A Novel, page 196:

     Johnathan's lips moved ghastly before his voice would come. "So I'm crazy, am I? And if I choose to murder you, what would you do?"