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appall

American  
[uh-pawl] / əˈpɔl /
especially British, appal

verb (used with object)

  1. to fill or overcome with horror, consternation, or fear; dismay.

    He was appalled by the damage from the fire. I am appalled at your mistakes.
    Synonyms:
    daunt, horrify

Related Words

See frighten.

Etymology

Origin of appall

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French ap(p)allir “to grow or make pale,” equivalent to a- a- 5 + pal(l)ir in same sense; pale 1

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.