aghast

[uh-gast, uh-gahst] /əˈgæst, əˈgɑst/

adjective

struck with overwhelming shock or amazement; filled with sudden fright or horror:

They stood aghast at the sight of the plane crashing.

Origin

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

Examples from the web for aghast

Nuclear experts on both sides of the debate are aghast at such comparisons.
The audience was incredulous and aghast.
The salesman stood on the sidewalk, aghast as the car rolled down the hill with me trapped between the seats.
Other delegates were aghast at statistics that showed the global imbalance of current applicants.
I'm aghast and extremely disappointed at this grade-school level of reporting.
Many, especially in banks and government departments, are aghast at the sheer volume of ancient code.
She did as instructed and was suitably aghast at the grime on her hands.
They are passers-by staring, aghast, at a fabulous piece of antique jewelry.
There they watched aghast as the tsunami claimed their town.
Guys, I'm aghast that the topic of conversation has entirely overlooked the major issues at hand presented by this article.

British Dictionary definitions for aghast

aghast

/əˈɡɑːst/

adjective

(postpositive) overcome with amazement or horror

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for aghast

adj.

c.1300, agast, "terrified," past participle of Middle English agasten "to frighten" (c.1200), from a- intensive prefix + Old English gæstan "to terrify," from gæst "spirit, ghost" (see ghost). The -gh- spelling appeared early 15c. in Scottish and is possibly a Flemish influence, or after ghost, etc. It became general after 1700.