aghast

[ uh-gast, uh-gahst ]
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adjective
  1. struck with overwhelming shock or amazement; filled with sudden fright or horror: They stood aghast at the sight of the plane crashing.

Origin of aghast

1
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

Words Nearby aghast

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How to use aghast in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for aghast

aghast

/ (əˈɡɑːst) /


adjective
  1. (postpositive) overcome with amazement or horror

Origin of aghast

1
C13: agast, from Old English gæstan to frighten. The spelling with gh is on the model of ghastly

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