The state or quality of being aghast; the condition of being deeply shocked or horrified.
From 'aghast' plus the noun-forming suffix '-ness.' Ultimately traces back to Old English roots meaning terror or fright, with the '-ness' suffix turning the adjective into a noun describing the state.
Like 'aggrievedness,' this word names an emotional state rather than an action—and most of these emotional noun forms with '-ness' are rare in modern writing, which is why reading old literature can feel emotionally precise in ways modern speech often isn't.
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