different between ghastly vs sickening

English

Etymology

From a conflation of a derivation of Old English g?stan (“to torment, frighten”) with the suffix -lic, and ghostly (which was also spelt "gastlich" in Middle English). Equivalent to ghast/gast + -ly. Spelling with 'gh' developed 16th century due to the conflation.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /????s(t).li/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??æs(t).li/

Adjective

ghastly (comparative ghastlier, superlative ghastliest)

1. Like a ghost in appearance; death-like; pale; pallid; dismal.
   • 1798, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

     Each turned his face with a ghastly pang.
2. Horrifyingly shocking.
3. Extremely bad.

Synonyms

• (sickly pale): See also Thesaurus:pallid
• (horrifyingly shocking): lurid

Translations

Adverb

ghastly (not comparable)

1. In a ghastly manner.
   • 1921, William Dudley Pelley, The Fog: A Novel, page 196:

     Johnathan's lips moved ghastly before his voice would come. "So I'm crazy, am I? And if I choose to murder you, what would you do?"

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?s?k(?)n??/
• Hyphenation: sick?en?ing

Verb

sickening

1. present participle of sicken

Adjective

sickening (comparative more sickening, superlative most sickening)

1. Causing sickness or disgust.
2. (LGBT slang) Amazing, fantastic.
   • 2014, The Infamous Todd Kachinski Kottmeier, Drag King Guide: So You Want to Be a Male Impersonator, Lulu.com, ?ISBN, p. 188:

     Richard Cranium does sickening stuff (if your budget permits), stones from Charles Brennan and lots of imagination.

   • 2016, Juackie Huba and Shelly Stewart Kronbergs, Fiercely You: Be Fabulous and Confident by Thinking Like a Drag Queen, Berret-Koehler, ?ISBN, no page number:

     Latrice lives every day by her mantra, “It’s OK to make mistakes. It’s OK to fall down. Get up, look sickening, and make them eat it!” Translation: rise above your downfalls in life, and always look amazing while dismissing the haters.

   • 2017, Mayka Castellando and Heitor Leal Machado, “‘Please come to Brazil!’ The practices of RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Brazilian fandom”, in RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Shifting Visibility of Drag Culture, ed. by Niall Brennan and David Gudelunas, Springer, ?ISBN, p. 172:

     Back with the seventh season next March 2nd, RuPaul’s Drag Race promises to gather fans and followers in front of the computer to watch the new competition to crown the most sickening queen.

Translations

See also

• loathsome
• disgusting
• abominable
• detestable
• hateful

Noun

sickening (plural sickenings)

1. The act of making somebody sick.
   • 2010, Greg A. Marley, Chanterelle Dreams, Amanita Nightmares

     In the Northeast, one porcini look-alike has been implicated in several sickenings. It is Boletus huronensis, and though some guides call it edible, there have been a few cases of people becoming sickened following a meal of this mushroom.