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Awful vs Ghastly - What's the difference?

awful | ghastly | Related terms |

Awful is a related term of ghastly.


As adjectives the difference between awful and ghastly

is that awful is oppressing with fear or horror; appalling, terrible while ghastly is like a ghost in appearance; deathlike; pale; pallid; dismal.

As adverbs the difference between awful and ghastly

is that awful is (colloquial) very, extremely; as, an awful big house while ghastly is in a ghastly manner.

awful

English

Alternative forms

* awfull (archaic)

Adjective

(en-adj)
  • Oppressing with fear or horror; appalling, terrible.
  • Inspiring awe; filling with profound reverence or respect; profoundly impressive.
  • *, I.56:
  • God ought not to be commixed in our actions, but with awful reverence, and an attention full of honour and respect.
  • * 1819 , Lord Byron, Don Juan , II.143:
  • And then she stopped, and stood as if in awe / (For sleep is awful ).
  • Struck or filled with awe.
  • (obsolete) Terror-stricken.
  • Worshipful; reverential; law-abiding.
  • Exceedingly great; usually applied intensively.
  • an awful bonnet
    I have learnt an awful amount today.
  • Very bad.
  • My socks smell awful .

    Usage notes

    * Nouns to which "awful" is often applied: day, truth, time, place, moment, mess, night, news, state, situation, smell, thought, person, pain, movie, consequence, crime, fate, death, tragedy, man, event, disease, story, condition, mistake, taste, picture, year, calamity, doom, film, catastrophe, secret, performance, storm, end, week, shape, choice.

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Adverb

    (-)
  • (colloquial) Very, extremely; as, an awful big house.
  • See also

    * awfully.

    ghastly

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Like a ghost in appearance; deathlike; pale; pallid; dismal.
  • *(Samuel Taylor Coleridge) (1772-1834)
  • *:Each turned his face with a ghastly pang.
  • * (1800-1859)
  • *:His face was so ghastly that it could scarcely be recognized.
  • Horrifyingly shocking.
  • *(John Milton) (1608-1674)
  • *:Mangled with ghastly wounds through plate and mail.
  • *
  • *:They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.
  • Extremely bad.
  • :
  • Synonyms

    * lurid

    Adverb

    (-)
  • In a ghastly manner.
  • He turned ghastly pale on hearing the news.