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Synonyms

appalling

American  
[uh-paw-ling] / əˈpɔ lɪŋ /

adjective

  1. causing dismay or horror.

    an appalling accident; an appalling lack of manners.
appalling British  
/ 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

Other Word Forms

  • appallingly adverb
  • unappalling adjective
  • unappallingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of appalling

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

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.

Kick It Out, a British-based charity aiming to combat racism in football, issued a statement late Sunday condemning an "appalling weekend" of abuse.

From Barron's

The Liberal Democrats said the situation is "appalling" and the whole system needs to be "rethought".

From BBC

The level of indignation, courtesy of the masterly Bellocchio, may be even more than a viewer will be comfortable with; the cynical perspective of so many Milanese jurists is appalling.

From The Wall Street Journal

That is the reality of the world that we live in, especially now, with everything coming out about the Epstein files — it’s appalling.

From Los Angeles Times

The company said flight LS896 heading to Manchester from Antalya had to make an emergency landing in Brussels due to the "appalling behaviour of two disruptive passengers".

From BBC

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.