From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishghastlyghast‧ly /ˈɡɑːstli $ ˈɡæstli/ ●○○ adjective 1 BADvery bad or unpleasant SYN horrible a ghastly little hotel The whole thing was a ghastly mistake. The weather was ghastly.► see thesaurus at bad2 SHOCKmaking you very frightened, upset, or shocked a ghastly accident3 → look/feel ghastly —ghastliness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
ghastly• She felt ghastly afterwards.• It was ghastly, and a ghastly day for golf.• But in the disclaimer his children need above all to be protected from the ghastly consequences of their own actions.• Suddenly, Holmes rose from his chair and emitted a ghastly cry.• He was scared stiff, thought a ghastly mistake had been made.• a ghastly mistake• Well-meant though it was, the gesture was terrible, creating a ghastly parody of femininity.• They keep showing ghastly pictures of the accident on TV.• There was a ghastly self-fulfilling prophecy about such sessions.• We have been through a ghastly situation, and I hope that some good can come of it.Origin ghastly (1300-1400) gast “to frighten” ((11-17 centuries)) 