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Ghastly vs Diabolic - What's the difference?

ghastly | diabolic |

As adjectives the difference between ghastly and diabolic

is that ghastly is like a ghost in appearance; deathlike; pale; pallid; dismal while diabolic is diabolical.

As an adverb ghastly

is in a ghastly manner.

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.

    diabolic

    English

    Alternative forms

    * diabolick (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Showing wickedness typical of a devil.
    • diabolic magic square
    a cunning and diabolic plot
  • Extremely evil or cruel.
    • fires lit up a diabolic scene

    Synonyms

    * devilish, mephistophelian, mephistophelean * demonic, fiendish, hellish, infernal, satanic, unholy

    Related terms

    * diabolical * diabolically * diabolicalness

    Anagrams

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