appall

verb ap·pall \ ə-ˈpȯl \

variants: or less commonly appal

Definition of appall

appalled; appalling

transitive verb

: to overcome with consternation, shock, or dismay

We were appalled by his behavior.

intransitive verb

obsolete : weaken, fail

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Examples of appall in a Sentence

The thought of war appalls me.
It appalls me to think of the way those children have been treated.

Recent Examples of appall from the Web

But Ireland is also a relatively conservative country, and the idea of celebrating violence appalls many.

— christopher woolf, USA TODAY, "Ireland celebrates Che Guevara's Irish roots with a stamp, despite opposition," 16 Oct. 2017
Indeed, the decline of philosophy in American life would surely be among the things that would appall the Founders most about the country in 2017.

— pascal-emmanuel gobry, National Review, "America’s Francification: La Fin," 27 Sep. 2017
And set aside demonstrable workplace problems from behavior that annoys or appalls you.

— The Seattle Times, "Boss’s affair with co-worker turns team toxic," 13 Sep. 2017
The idea appalls Defense Secretary James Mattis and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, but was promoted by Trump’s strategic adviser Steve Bannon.

— trudy rubin, Philly.com, "Trump would be bonkers to listen to Blackwater founder's plan to use mercenaries in Afghanistan| Trudy Rubin," 18 Aug. 2017
His efforts to find one would likely provoke a Saturday Night Massacre-style cascade of resignations, which would appall Trump’s critics.

— peter beinart, The Atlantic, "Why Trump Might Fire Robert Mueller," 25 July 2017
The terrorists’ ability to appall us diminishes as their assaults become sadly routine.

— froma harrop, The Denver Post, "When we focus on the victims, we reward the terrorists," 25 May 2017
Meanwhile, the strategy appalls many experts who say that using economic leverage to prod China on security matters will send a broader signal to allies that U.S. foreign policy may be for sale.

— chicagotribune.com, "Shunning rulebook, Trump pursues 'art of the deal' with China," 1 May 2017
Some of that spending could shift to Facebook, Mahaney said, although the social network is facing its own challenges trying to block live videos of violence that appall viewers and advertisers alike.

— michael liedtke, The Seattle Times, "YouTube ad boycott could spell trouble for Alphabet’s Google," 27 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'appall.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of appall

Middle English, from Middle French apalir, from Old French, from a- (from Latin ad-) + palir to grow pale, from Latin pallescere, inchoative of pallēre to be pale — more at fallow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

appall Synonyms

Synonyms

floor, jolt, shake up, shock;

Near Antonyms

buffer, cushion;

delight, gratify, please, rejoice, tickle;

charm, entice, tempt;

assure, cheer, comfort, console, solace, soothe;

reassure;

affright, alarm (also alarum), dismay, fright, frighten, horrify, panic, scare, scarify, spook, startle, terrify, terrorize;

disgust, nauseate, repel, revolt, sicken, turn off;

displease, offend, outrage, scandalize;

amaze, astound, awe;

chill, daunt, demoralize, dispirit, emasculate, undo, unman, unnerve, unstring;

discomfort, discompose, disconcert, disquiet, distress, disturb, perturb, shake, unsettle, upset;

crush, overpower, overwhelm;

Phrases

knock for a loop;

Synonym Discussion of appall

dismay, appall, horrify, daunt mean to unnerve or deter by arousing fear, apprehension, or aversion. dismay implies that one is disconcerted and at a loss as to how to deal with something.