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.
With a hole for a toilet, and dirty mattresses "full of insects", conditions were "appalling", she said.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
Callais no less shocking and appalling for having been anticipated.
From Salon • May 6, 2026
In the early 1920s, the injury and death rates for both aviation and automobile travel were appalling.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the "antisemitic attack" - the latest in a string in the UK - was "utterly appalling", adding: "Attacks on our Jewish community are attacks on Britain."
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
His career had been noteworthy only in its appalling rigor.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
