ghastly

/ˈɡɑːstli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɡæstli/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgast-lē/ (ame, mw)

ghastly — adjective

  • ghastlypositive
  • ghastliercomparative
  • ghastliestsuperlative

1. describing an event, scene, or injury that shocks people because it involves dea

1.形容詞C1
釋義

describing an event, scene, or injury that shocks people because it involves death, suffering, or violence — like a serious traffic crash, a war photograph, or a terrible discovery at a crime scene.

例句

Beatriz could not erase the ghastly images of the bus crash from her memory.

attributive: a ghastly + concrete noun (images, scene)

The journalist described the ghastly conditions inside the refugee camp.

collocation: ghastly conditions / scene / sight

同義詞
  • horrific

    stronger; emphasises shock and trauma.

  • gruesome

    focuses on blood, wounds, and gory physical detail.

  • appalling

    shock plus moral outrage at how bad something is.

文法句型

a ghastly + noun

be ghastly

用法筆記

Subject is usually a violent or harmful event, a visual scene, or evidence of one (crash, murder, injury, photograph). Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 needs real harm or death; sense 2 is a personal complaint about something merely unpleasant.

常見錯誤

❌The pizza was ghastly because it was cold.
✅The car crash was ghastly.
💡sense 1 needs real harm, death, or violence; for a bad meal use sense 2 with a less heavy context.

2. used by a speaker to say that something is extremely bad, ugly, or unpleasant in

2.形容詞C1
釋義

used by a speaker to say that something is extremely bad, ugly, or unpleasant in a personal way — like a meal you hated, a tasteless wallpaper, or a wet weekend that ruined a trip.

例句

Adina thought the green floral wallpaper in the guest room was absolutely ghastly.

predicative with intensifier: absolutely / truly ghastly

We had a ghastly weekend in Brighton because it rained from Friday to Sunday.

collocation: a ghastly weekend / time / day

同義詞
  • dreadful

    similar informal British complaint; slightly less visual.

  • awful

    more neutral and more common in all varieties of English.

  • hideous

    stronger when complaining about appearance, especially clothes or decor.

反義詞
  • lovely

    the natural British informal opposite.

  • delightful

    slightly more formal positive reaction.

文法句型

a ghastly + noun

be ghastly

用法筆記

Common in spoken British English to express strong personal dislike of taste, weather, food, clothes, or social situations. The speaker is complaining, not reporting actual harm. Often paired with intensifiers absolutely / utterly / truly.

常見錯誤

❌The maths exam was ghastly difficult.
✅The maths exam was ghastly.
💡ghastly is the adjective itself; do not use it as an adverb to modify another adjective.

3. looking very ill, frightened, or shocked, with skin that has gone pale or grey l

3.形容詞C2
釋義

looking very ill, frightened, or shocked, with skin that has gone pale or grey like that of a dead person.

例句

Nkechi looked ghastly the morning after her food poisoning and could barely sit up.

collocation: look ghastly (after illness)

Daniel went a ghastly shade of grey when the doctor explained the test results.

collocation: a ghastly shade / colour / pallor

同義詞
  • pallid

    formal; describes pale skin without the death-like connotation.

  • ashen

    stronger; skin has gone grey from shock or fear.

  • wan

    literary; weak pale colour suggesting tiredness or illness.

反義詞
  • rosy

    healthy pink skin colour.

  • ruddy

    reddish, suggesting good health or outdoor life.

文法句型

look ghastly

a ghastly + noun (pallor, colour)

用法筆記

Subject is a person, a face, or skin tone. Usually appears with look / go / turn rather than be. Distinguish from sense 1 (which is about events) and sense 2 (which is about taste or quality); this sense is strictly about pale, sick-looking appearance.

常見錯誤

❌Min felt ghastly inside her stomach.
✅Min looked ghastly because her stomach hurt.
💡this sense describes outward appearance, not inner feeling.