ghastful en · ADJ
Etymology
From Middle English gastful, equivalent to ghast + -ful. See ghastly.
Meanings
-
(archaic) Causing fear; terrifying.
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.
1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, chapter 174, in The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC:
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(archaic) Terrified, frightened.
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.
1716, Samuel Wesley, The history of the Old and New Testament attempted in verse, page 13:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most ghastful | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| gastful | alternative | lexicographic | |
| more ghastful | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| gashful | alternative | lexicographic |