ghast ‧ ly /ˈɡɑːstli $ ˈɡæstli/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: gast 'to frighten' (11-17 centuries) ]
1 . very bad or unpleasant SYN horrible :
a ghastly little hotel
The whole thing was a ghastly mistake.
The weather was ghastly.
2 . making you very frightened, upset, or shocked:
a ghastly accident
3 . look/feel ghastly to look or feel ill, upset, or unhappy:
Are you all right? You look ghastly!
—ghastliness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
■ very bad
▪ awful/terrible/dreadful especially British English very bad:
The movie was awful.
|
Her house is in a terrible state.
|
a dreadful crime
▪ horrible very bad, especially in a way that shocks or upsets you:
He describes prison as ‘a horrible place’.
|
It was a horrible exprerience.
▪ disgusting smelling or tasting very bad:
The food was disgusting.
|
The fish smelled disgusting.
▪ lousy /ˈlaʊzi/ informal very bad or disappointing:
The weather has been lousy all week.
|
I’m fed up with this lousy job.
▪ ghastly /ˈɡɑːstli $ ˈɡæstli/ British English informal very bad:
I’ve had a ghastly day.
|
a ghastly mistake
▪ severe severe problems, injuries, illnesses etc are very bad and serious:
The country faces severe economic problems.
|
severe delays
|
He suffered severe head injuries in a car crash.
▪ atrocious/appalling/horrendous extremely bad in a way that is shocking:
Her behaviour has been absolutely atrocious.
|
The country has an appalling human rights record.
▪ abysmal /əˈbɪzm ə l/ very bad and of a very low standard:
The team’s performance was abysmal.
|
the abysmal conditions in some prisons