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

Derived Forms

• apˈpallingly, adverb

Other Words From

• ap·palling·ly adverb
• unap·palling adjective
• unap·palling·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of appalling¹

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

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.

From ProPublica

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.

From Washington Post

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?

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From The Daily Beast

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• alarming
• astounding
• awful
• dire
• disheartening
• dreadful
• frightening
• frightful
• ghastly
• harrowing
• hideous
• horrible
• horrific
• shocking
• terrible
• terrifying