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Synonym Chooser

How is the word ghastly different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of ghastly are grisly, gruesome, lurid, and macabre. While all these words mean "horrifying and repellent in appearance or aspect," ghastly suggests the terrifying aspects of corpses and ghosts.

a ghastly accident

How do grisly and gruesome relate to one another, in the sense of ghastly?

Both grisly and gruesome suggest additionally the results of extreme violence or cruelty.

an unusually grisly murder
suffered a gruesome death

How are the words lurid and gruesome related as synonyms of ghastly?

Lurid adds to gruesome the suggestion of shuddering fascination with violent death and especially with murder.

the lurid details of a crime

When might macabre be a better fit than ghastly?

Although the words macabre and ghastly have much in common, macabre implies a morbid preoccupation with the physical aspects of death.

a macabre tale of premature burial

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ghastly Yet, after saving several lives, the survivors begin to die anyway, one by one: also in ghastly fashion, also in freakish, Rube Goldberg machine-like sequences. Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 13 May 2025 Putin having another two months to pick away at Kyiv’s frontlines would leave Zelensky facing another ghastly winter. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 10 May 2025 His naïveté was on full display, as well as his ghastly poor judgment. Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 6 May 2025 The Sunset Mesa case, along with subsequent ghastly funeral home revelations, prompted Colorado lawmakers to close loopholes in state statutes surrounding the regulation of the industry. Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ghastly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghastly
Adjective
  • Six decades later, Hamas would engage in a gruesome competition with Fatah to outdo one another with terrorist attacks during the 1990s and early 2000s.
    Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025
  • But Trump and Epstein’s association has been out in the open for nearly a quarter century; nineties-era footage of the gruesome twosome together at Mar-a-Lago, leering at a group of young cheerleaders, has been circulating since at least 2019.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • The faction's power grew with the shocking debut of Jacob Fatu, another member of the Anoa'i family known for his intense and destructive style in other promotions.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
  • Recognizing that gulf is a sad thing for her, and Huston holds Anderson’s intense close-ups with an expression both loving and rueful at once. 40.
    Joe Reid, Vulture, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • More: Ukraine drone attack shows familiar-looking drones can be terrifying weapons How does the Pentagon, which spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on defense, have such a vulnerability?
    Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today, 8 June 2025
  • Everyone's fighting power is so terrifying, but the only thing missing is the XBOX robe...
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • That this horrific upheaval comes care of Lucy’s work is the real kicker.
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 June 2025
  • This is what Qasem Hassan had feared from the start—that the horrific violence inflicted on Israelis on October 7th would be used to justify a war without limits, dehumanizing all Palestinians.
    Eyal Press, New Yorker, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • University of Southern California LOS ANGELES Inspired by Walt Disney artist and Imagineer John C. Hench, USC’s intensive BFA and MFA programs teach animation from a maker’s point of view.
    Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 6 June 2025
  • Russia used a Tu-160 in intensive overnight missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, Kyiv's air force said on Friday.
    Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
Adjective
  • Even with the horrible start the Red Sox still nearly came all the way back, twice drawing to within one run, but the club couldn’t get over the hump.
    Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 3 June 2025
  • We were made aware of this horrible activity by Priscilla Olivarez from ILRC, at our annual conference Convening 2025, held in San Antonio.
    Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 June 2025
Adjective
  • But then what looked like a tap-in par on the long par-three eighth turned into a shocking miss.
    Doug Ferguson, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2025
  • The team grapples with a leadership shakeup and a shocking ultimatum.
    Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 June 2025
Adjective
  • And these are the same Oilers who, after a terrible 6-1 loss in Game 3 to the Panthers, overcame a three-goal deficit in Game 4 to even the series.
    Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 15 June 2025
  • Outside of getting to play a grand slam event in his backyard, Thomas has been downright terrible in the sport's four biggest tournaments.
    Gerrit Ritt, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ghastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghastly. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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