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.
Her family sat aghast through the trial, trying to absorb not just the enormity of what had happened but also the tragedy of knowing that major companies could have revealed Krug's stalker far earlier.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
Everyone John meets in “I Swear” is either aghast by his tics or accepts them without struggle.
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026
At a gas station in Washington's suburbs, Jeanne Williams, 83, was aghast at the higher prices.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
When Barbara Walters started interviewing celebrities on her prime time specials for ABC in the 1970s, pearl-clutching journalistic purists were aghast.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026
She was aghast that we had been in legal limbo for so long and thought that five years should have been plenty of time for my mother to get her act together.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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.
