appalling
Americanadjective
adjective
-
causing extreme dismay, horror, or revulsion
-
very bad
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of appalling
Explanation
Something that is appalling is awful or horrible, causing dismay or disgust. It's definitely not appealing. Like so many things, people have different opinions on what is appalling. Most people find the idea of children living in poverty appalling. Just about everyone thinks a vicious "sport" like dog-fighting is appalling. If you're rich, paying a lot of taxes might be appalling. A football announcer might say that a sloppy play was appalling. Your parents might say the state of your room is appalling. This word can fit just about any situation that disgusts you.
Vocabulary lists containing appalling
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" Speech (1963)
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Brave New World
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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
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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.
So it’s startling to hear even some progressive elected officials complain about the appalling conditions at the city’s existing housing projects.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026
As a woman tells Mew, “the planet teeters on the brink of an appalling and irreversible alteration.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
"It is interesting to me that the mass circulation of the appalling footage has almost been accepted as a public good," he wrote.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
“Derek had the longest list, obviously, but I’ve met some appalling ends.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
“I’m her mother. She’s in appalling danger and I won’t let anything happen to her.”
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
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.
