Aghast — A Vocabulary Story
Dad and the Disastrous Haircut
On the morning of Auntie Noor's wedding, Layla heard a buzzing noise coming from the bathroom. It was not a bee. It was worse.
Her dad stood at the mirror, holding the electric clippers and smiling proudly. "Saving money!" he announced. "Barbers charge a fortune. I shall trim my own hair."
Layla watched him press the clippers to his head. A moment later, she stood aghast in the doorway, her mouth hanging open like a letterbox. A shiny bald stripe ran straight down the middle of Dad's head. He looked like a road with a motorway painted on it.
Aghast means filled with sudden shock or horror.
"It's fine," said Dad, though his voice went a bit squeaky. "I'll just even it out."
He buzzed again. The stripe got wider.
Mum came in with her wedding shoes, took one look, and froze, aghast, one shoe still dangling from her finger. "We leave in an hour," she whispered. "One hour."
The whole family bundled into the car and raced to Sami's barbershop. Sami studied Dad's head, aghast, and pressed a hand to his chest as if the sight had actually hurt him. "My friend," he said gravely, "put the clippers down and never pick them up again."
Sami snipped and buzzed and tidied until Dad had a smart, short haircut all over.
At the wedding, Auntie Noor said Dad looked very handsome.
"I did it myself," said Dad.
Layla nearly choked on her mango juice.
Word Definition
aghast
meaning
filled with sudden shock or horror
synonyms
horrified · shocked · stunned · appalled · dismayed
antonyms
unmoved · delighted
example sentence
She stared aghast at the broken window.