aghast
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of aghast
1225–75; Middle English agast frightened, past participle of agasten, equivalent to a- a- 3 + gasten, Old English gǣstan to frighten, earlier *gāstjan < Germanic causative *gaistjan; see ghost
Explanation
Would you be aghast, or shocked, to find out that your friends believe in ghosts, or would you share their frightened, or aghast, looks when a floating white being hovers over the campfire? Aghast comes from Old English gasten, "frighten," which comes in turn from gāst, "ghost." If you've seen a look of absolute shock or terror on someone's face — like when your mom (or dad) sees a mouse — you can describe the look with the adjective aghast. If someone says "You should have seen the look on your face!" after sneaking up on you, you probably looked aghast yourself. "Boo!"
Vocabulary lists containing aghast
The Outsiders
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"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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"Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Aghast at its cramped feel and banal plaster, stucco and Formica surfaces, he enlisted Lautner himself to help make improvements.
From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2024
Aghast, we insisted it was Tradition, and we all loved it just the same.
From Salon • Nov. 19, 2022
Aghast, I blurted out: “Couldn’t these symptoms be signs of ovarian cancer?”
From Seattle Times • Aug. 5, 2022
Aghast at the Nazi Holocaust Lemkin coined the term in 1944 and, four years later, succeeded in having the UN define genocide as a crime under international law.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2022
Aghast, the ladies would ask, “Die? From what? He ain’t sick.”
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
