ghastly

Everyday

1. Very bad, horrible or unpleasant. tree →
2. Shocking and frightening, like something terrible to see. tree →
3. Very pale and ill-looking, like a ghost. tree →
4. (informal, UK) Awful, as in «a ghastly mistake», «ghastly weather». tree →

In the lessons

A strong descriptive word, both in scary stories (a ghastly face, a ghastly scream) and in everyday British talk (ghastly food, ghastly weather). It tells readers that something is dreadful or that someone looks deathly pale.

Examples

• The school dinner was ghastly. tree →
• We had ghastly weather on holiday. tree →
• A ghastly scream came from the cellar. tree →
• He looked ghastly after being seasick. tree →
• I've made a ghastly mistake! tree →
• Toad thought the prison food was ghastly. tree →
• The weasels let out a ghastly howl as the friends burst in. tree →

Note

Adjective; comparative ghastlier, superlative ghastliest. Pronounced GAHST-lee (UK) or GAST-lee (US); the h is silent. It looks like an adverb (-ly) but is an adjective. Linked in meaning to «ghost» (both from an old word for spirit).