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aghast

adjective
\ ə-ˈgast How to pronounce aghast (audio) \

Definition of aghast

: struck with terror, amazement, or horror : shocked and upset was aghast when she heard the news
Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about aghast

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Did You Know?

If you are aghast, you might look like you've just seen a ghost, or something similarly shocking. "Aghast" traces back to a Middle English verb, gasten, meaning "to frighten." "Gasten" (which also gave us ghastly, meaning "terrible or frightening) comes from "gast," a Middle English spelling of the word ghost. "Gast" also came to be used in English as a verb meaning "to scare." That verb is now obsolete, but its spirit lives on in words spoken by the character Edmund in Shakespeare's King Lear: "gasted by the noise I made, full suddenly he fled."

Examples of aghast in a Sentence

The news left her aghast. Critics were aghast to see how awful the play was.

Recent Examples on the Web

 Progressives were aghast, and when actress Alyssa Milano objected, Texas Senator Ted Cruz jumped in to support Schaefer’s argument (in less bombastic terms). — Rich Lowry, National Review, "Yes, Gun Ownership Is a God-Given Right," 6 Sep. 2019 Many Zimbabweans who cheered the downfall of longtime leader Robert Mugabe two years ago are aghast to find the country’s economy even worse than before. — Farai Mutsaka, Los Angeles Times, "Zimbabweans say their economy is worse than ever: ‘This is hell’," 25 July 2019 The Washington foreign-policy crowd, in which Trump fans are rare, is aghast. — The Economist, "Why Donald Trump is unlikely to start a catastrophic conflict," 28 Mar. 2018 Longtime Biden allies were aghast at the rocky rollout and undisciplined performances. — Philip Elliott, Time, "Why Joe Biden's Campaign is Struggling," 25 July 2019 Zoe quickly gets into the mix of the local stable, introducing us to a coterie of likable Brit teens, all of whom are very soft and would be aghast at the nihilistic terrors of Euphoria. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "These Are The New Netflix Treats For July 4th Weekend —Besides Stranger Things," 2 July 2019 Yet American coverage of the surprise victory for Vote Leave in the UK’s 2016 referendum was aghast. — Lionel Shriver, Harper's magazine, "No Exit," 10 Apr. 2019 Our nation’s last remaining moral compass, the advertising industry, is publicly aghast at the latest Facebook revelations, Sapna Maheshwari reports. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "How Facebook’s crisis PR firm triggered a PR crisis," 17 Nov. 2018 Lawmakers were aghast that Benalla still had an office in the presidential palace 2 1/2 months after the beating, and that he was not immediately reported to judicial authorities. — Thomas Adamson, Fox News, "French open judicial probe into beating by Macron aide," 22 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aghast.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of aghast

13th century, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for aghast

alteration (with h after ghastly, ghost entry 1) of Middle English agast, from past participle of agasten "to frighten, become frightened," from a-, perfective prefix + gasten "to frighten" — more at abide, gast

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More Definitions for aghast

aghast

adjective
\ ə-ˈgast\

Kids Definition of aghast

: struck with terror, surprise, or horror The news left her aghast.

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More from Merriam-Webster on aghast

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with aghast

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for aghast

Spanish Central: Translation of aghast

Nglish: Translation of aghast for Spanish Speakers

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