Adjective

(en adjective)

Of the poorest quality.

Hateful.

* 1779 , Jefferson, letter to Patrick Henry written on March 27

But is an enemy so execrable , that, though in captivity, his wishes and comforts are to be disregarded and even crossed? I think not. It is for the benefit of mankind to mitigate the horrors of war as much as possible.

* {{quote-book

, date = 2001-06-01 , title = Guts: A Comedy of Manners , first = David , last = Langford , authorlink = David Langford , coauthors = Grant, John , publisher = Wildside Press , isbn = 9781587154485 , page = 72 , pageurl = http://books.google.com/books?id=XloXRhUhamIC&pg=PA72&dq=execrable , passage = The arcanely evil words of that despicable, loathsome, suppressed, vile, pululating, odious, nictating, repellent, repugnant, noxious, abhorrent, abominable, tory, execrable , nauseous work, Ye Boke of Guts , moved as if on a conveyor belt before his eyes. }}

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.

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