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; ghost
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.
At a gas station in Washington's suburbs, Jeanne Williams, 83, was aghast at the higher prices.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
Cottrill said he had sculpted the 79-year-old Republican leader's "turkey neck" but the crypto backers were aghast and asked for a more flattering, less realistic look.
From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026
Robin is aghast when she learns he’s booked a hotel room on Canal Street for $80 a night.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025
When Jimmy Stewart crash-landed in an alternative timeline, he was aghast at the economic disparity.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025
But the way she’d looked at him—at first aghast, then hostile.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
