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View synonyms for appalling

appalling

[ uh-paw-ling ]

adjective

  1. causing dismay or horror:

    an appalling accident; an appalling lack of manners.



appalling

/ əˈpɔːlɪŋ /

adjective

  1. causing extreme dismay, horror, or revulsion
  2. very bad
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


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Derived Forms

  • apˈpallingly, adverb
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Other Words From

  • ap·palling·ly adverb
  • unap·palling adjective
  • unap·palling·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of appalling1

First recorded in 1810–20; appall + -ing 2
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Example Sentences

The video of George Floyd’s death was appalling to Joe Sullivan, who spent 38 years with the Philadelphia police department, much of it overseeing the unit that handles large demonstrations, eventually rising to deputy commissioner.

As Covid-19 vaccination efforts ramp up in the world, the figures on the continent are appalling.

From Quartz

To me, it’s appalling, because she actually radiates a deep belief in the basic humanity of all people.

Immigration advocates lamented the crowded, appalling conditions.

From Time

Beneath what appears to be another appalling accidental shooting actually belies a complex, systemic issue at the core of America’s problematic, hyper-aggressive policing philosophy.

From Quartz

Do they not recall the appalling ramifications of the infamous moment when Michelle Obama put her arm around the Queen in 2009?

The story was so appalling, the attack so brutish and morally offensive, that it provoked an immediate, furious response.

Identifying the perpetrators of this appalling tragedy is a criminal matter, not a technical one.

However the fact that they are not alone should make their behavior that much more appalling to donors.

And this is not the first time that the kangaroo courts of rural India have made such appalling judgments.

He wished her mother had not been quite such an appalling person, fat and painted.

Few persons can attain to adult life without being profoundly impressed by the appalling inequalities of our human lot.

It was not a condition of life which fitted her, and she could see in it but an appalling and hopeless ennui.

A few minutes later an appalling explosion shook every house in Lucknow.

How could he leave her with the owner of those hands, the wearer of those appalling yellow cotton gloves!

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appalledAppaloosa