ghastlier; ghastliest
1
a
: terrifyingly horrible to the senses : frightening
a ghastly crime
b
: intensely unpleasant, disagreeable, or objectionable
such a life seems ghastly in its emptiness and sterility—
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley2
: resembling a ghost
3
obsolete
: filled with fear
4
: very great
a ghastly mistake
ghastliness
noun
ghastly
adverb
Examples of ghastly in a Sentence
You're making a ghastly mistake.
His room was a ghastly mess.
Recent Examples on the Web
It’s meant to be a dystopian future where an authoritarian government imposes this ghastly ritual [of a contest where teen boys compete until death].
—James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2025
Still, Mahomes completed just 6 of 14 passes for 33 yards with two ghastly interceptions to earn a 10.7 quarterback rating as the Eagles took a 24-0 lead that ballooned to 34-0 in the third quarter.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Reducing Zarutska’s cruel and untimely death to racist memes also erases the role that mental health — something that Republicans are happy to bring up whenever a white mass shooter guns down Americans in cold blood — likely played in the ghastly crime.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
The Russian dictator believes that his ghastly attrition strategy—which is losing 30,000 Russians a month, down from 40,000–combined with terrorizing missile and drone attacks on civilians will break Ukrainian morale.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ghastly
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James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2025
Still, Mahomes completed just 6 of 14 passes for 33 yards with two ghastly interceptions to earn a 10.7 quarterback rating as the Eagles took a 24-0 lead that ballooned to 34-0 in the third quarter.
—Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Reducing Zarutska’s cruel and untimely death to racist memes also erases the role that mental health — something that Republicans are happy to bring up whenever a white mass shooter guns down Americans in cold blood — likely played in the ghastly crime.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
The Russian dictator believes that his ghastly attrition strategy—which is losing 30,000 Russians a month, down from 40,000–combined with terrorizing missile and drone attacks on civilians will break Ukrainian morale.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ghastly
Cite this Entry
“Ghastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ghastly. Accessed 26 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ghastly
adjective
ghast·ly
ˈgast-lē 
ghastlier; ghastliest
1
a
: horrible sense 1, shocking
a ghastly crime
b
: very unpleasant, disagreeable, or objectionable
2
: resembling a ghost
a ghastly face
ghastliness
noun
ghastly
adverb
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