aghast
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!"
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struck with fear, dread, or consternation
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Vocabulary lists containing aghast
In the 1960s, tensions between two rival gangs separated along economic lines reach a violent breaking point.
Be careful what you wish for! In this horror story, a cursed monkey's paw delivers three wishes to its owners — but each of its gifts comes with a terrible price. Read the full text here.
This narrative poem, written in a meter that recalls the sound of a galloping horse’s hooves, tells the apocryphal story of Paul Revere warning colonial Americans of a looming British invasion. Read the poem here.