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appal

[ uh-pawl ]
/ əˈpɔl /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR appal ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ap·palled, ap·pal·ling.

appall.

RELATED WORDS

dismay, dishearten, intimidate, frighten, alarm, unnerve, astound, amaze, faze, disconcert, outrage, daunt, awe, petrify, terrify, scare, shock, insult, consternate, shake

Nearby words

  1. apothesis,
  2. apotropaic,
  3. apotropaism,
  4. app,
  5. app.,
  6. appalachia,
  7. appalachian,
  8. appalachian dulcimer,
  9. appalachian mountains,
  10. appalachian national scenic trail

Definition for appal (2 of 2)

appall

or ap·pal

[ uh-pawl ]
/ əˈpɔl /

verb (used with object)

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.

Origin of appall

1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French ap(p)allir to grow or make pale, equivalent to a- a-5 + pal(l)ir in same sense; see pale1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for appal

British Dictionary definitions for appal

appal

US appall

/ (əˈpɔːl) /

verb -pals, -palling or -palled or US -palls, -palling or -palled

(tr) to fill with horror; shock or dismay

Word Origin for appal

C14: from Old French appalir to turn pale
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

Word Origin and History for appal

appall

v.

also appal, early 14c., "to fade;" c.1400, "to grow pale," from Old French apalir "become or make pale," from a- "to" (see ad-) + palir "grow pale," from Latin pallere (see pallor). Meaning "cause dismay or shock," is 1530s. Related: Appalled; appalling.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper