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Ghastly vs Ghast - What's the difference?

ghastly | ghast |

As adjectives the difference between ghastly and ghast

is that ghastly is like a ghost in appearance; deathlike; pale; pallid; dismal while ghast is having a ghastly appearance; weird.

As an adverb ghastly

is in a ghastly manner.

As a verb ghast is

.

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.

    ghast

    English

    Etymology 1

    Variation of gast, from (etyl) gasten, from (etyl) . More at (l).

    Verb

    (en verb)
    • Derived terms
    * (l) * (l) * (l) * (l) * (l)

    Etymology 2

    Poetic abbreviation of ghastly.

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Having a ghastly appearance; weird.