Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ghastful

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: ghast-ful
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Causing fear; terrifying.

Archaic

adj

Terrified, frightened.

Archaic

Example Sentences

"Very desolate was that valley, having a dark aspect and a ghastful, such as a man might look for in the infernal glens of Pyriphlegethon or Acheron."
"Th' Almighty anſwers — "I my ſelf will place "The dreadful Stains of Murther on the Face, "That all may ſhun thy Crimes and Fate. — He ſaid, The Caitiff heard, with ghaſtful Looks he fled."

Etymology

From Middle English gastful, equivalent to ghast + -ful. See ghastly.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: gastful

Usage

Archaic

Inflected Forms

more ghastful (comparative) most ghastful (superlative) gastful (alternative) gashful (alternative)

Derived Forms

ghastfully ghastfulness

Questions

What does ghastful mean?: Causing fear; terrifying.
Where does ghastful come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce ghastful

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