1
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
a ghastly murder that shocked even hard-bitten detectives
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in intense
extreme in degree, power, or effect
I'm afraid that there's been a ghastly misunderstanding
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in terrifying
causing fear
a ghastly crime that made local residents afraid to go out at night
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ghastly
The immediate reason for that is that Benjamin Netanyahu needs to prolong the ghastly war in Gaza to avoid standing trial at home on corruption charges which carry a prison sentence.
—
Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
No one wants to see a return to the dark days when children lay in hospital wards, paralyzed, confined to ghastly iron lungs.
—Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Different versions of the nude Madonna might show a ghastly object of both fear and desire, or a liberated subject.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
The project looks set to explore the same sense of unease surrounding daily life under Augusto Pinochet sparked by the ghastly deeds carried out by his regime.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ghastly 
Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
No one wants to see a return to the dark days when children lay in hospital wards, paralyzed, confined to ghastly iron lungs.
—Michael Sheldrick, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Different versions of the nude Madonna might show a ghastly object of both fear and desire, or a liberated subject.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Dec. 2024
The project looks set to explore the same sense of unease surrounding daily life under Augusto Pinochet sparked by the ghastly deeds carried out by his regime.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ghastly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ghastly
Adjective
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Shanks brilliantly paces the story out with several pieces of foreshadowing, including a rat king as symbolism for toxic codependency, mirroring a gruesome story Tim tells Millie about his father’s death and his mother’s mental health.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2025
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Unlike the gruesome, bloodthirsty creatures of classic films and literature, Cullen and his family abstain from drinking the blood of humans.—
Edward Segarra,
USA TODAY,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The single performs even better on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, which is compiled in the same way as the Rock Digital Song Sales list, only the focus is exclusively on the more intense, harder style of the genre.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
19 Jan. 2025
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The Chiefs tallied another three points from Butker as both defenses were noticeably intense and solid as the first quarter ended 6-3 Kansas City.—
Kevin Dotson,
CNN,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Cumberbatch, in a few moments, expresses the depth of this father’s agony, the terrifying chasm of it.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2025
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Six episodes centre on a variety of different dinosaurs, from terrifying carnivores to docile herbivores.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Beloved Hollywood couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco have teamed up on the big screen a handful of times already but their new collaboration tests their coupledom in new and horrific ways.—
Chris Gardner,
The Hollywood Reporter,
26 Jan. 2025
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Fires shine spotlight on power lines Power lines are again drawing the spotlight as a potential cause of the horrific blazes.—
Bart Jansen,
USA TODAY,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The initial iteration of the program, launched with partners Nike and Right to Dream, gave six Ghanaian women the chance to participate in a three-month intensive coaches training experience.—
Vitas Carosella,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
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In 2002, the Israeli military occupied the camp after 10 days of intensive fighting, according to the UN, during which time more than 400 houses were destroyed and over a quarter of the camp’s population was displaced.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Traffic was horrible and the private crews can’t turn on a siren, ignore traffic laws, and drive on the wrong side of the road like public firefighters.—
Joseph Bien-Kahn,
Rolling Stone,
24 Jan. 2025
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Recommended Trump moves from ‘American carnage’ to ‘a horrible betrayal’ in second inaugural Juries also convicted some on charges of seditious conspiracy, which refers to activities that undermine a state without directly attacking it.—
Patrik Jonsson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But for one couple, their big day was nearly derailed by a shocking incident involving an uninvited guest.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
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With Williamson’s incredible start to his career and the shocking turns it’s taken since, The Athletic’s Will Guillory and Christian Clark discussed their times covering Williamson as members of the New Orleans media.—
William Guillory,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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While this is terrible for the environment, customer satisfaction, and retailers’ bottom lines, the truth is the industry has created a monster and easy and free returns have become the basic consumer expectation.—
Steve Dennis,
Forbes,
22 Jan. 2025
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Gerulaitis’s gallows humour deflects from the fact that his terrible records against Connors and Borg took a big toll on his confidence.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
22 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near ghastly
Cite this Entry
“Ghastly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ghastly. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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