appal
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of appal
C14: from Old French appalir to turn pale
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The wild child of rock n' roll had found a whole new generation to appal.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2022
"I know this will shock and appal the local community and I want to assure them we will do all we can to identify and bring to justice those responsible."
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2022
“I’m often trying to either appal or amuse or entertain you with an idea,” he says, addressing her.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 1, 2019
It needs films that challenge and disturb, that appal and revolt; that have us bolting towards the exit in search of a stiff drink at 10am.
From The Guardian ● May 18, 2018
The scene, altogether, was one to appal the bravest—to make the boldest "hold his breath;" never will the remembrance of it be erased from my mind; and, to this hour, it sometimes haunts my dreams.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 12 by Various
Raptors fans were appalled by the comments, but Barnes responded with humor on social media.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
The speech was strewn with falsehoods that must have appalled even sympathetic listeners in the chamber.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
The Yosemite NPS Employees Union said it was "appalled" by the ceding of public lands for private interests, calling the proposed trade "antithetical to what we stand for" as stewards of the park.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
In 2014, the business secretary of the time, Vince Cable, said he was appalled that some mortgage providers were lending five times a mortgage applicant's income, suggesting a stable level was up to 3.5 times.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Friends are appalled at the way he speaks to his only remaining parent.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
“The events that took place on our campus in 2024 were appalling then and remain so now,” the message said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Sam Blom-Cooper, a barrister for Brown, told the court his client denied the allegations and was intent on going in front of a jury to clear the "stains of these appalling allegations."
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Judge John Morris KC told Nabizada he had committed an "appalling betrayal of trust" during sentencing after he was found unanimously guilty at a High Court trial last month.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
He added: "I hope they realise the gravity of their actions and get some help to take a different path from the appalling criminal one they have chosen."
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The appalling sick stupidity that was so bad you thought sometimes you would go suddenly, violently, completely insane just having to watch it.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
