: inspiring horror, dismay, or disgust
living under appalling conditions
appalling savagery
appallingly
adverb
Examples of appalling in a Sentence
We drove by an appalling accident on the highway.
opening your mouth to show me your half-chewed food is absolutely appalling
Recent Examples on the Web
And then, following Labour’s appalling performance in local elections held in May, a leadership contest burst out into the open.
—
Anand Menon, Time, 13 June 2026
Backlash over Anthropic’s plan to degrade responses for prompts linked to high-risk responses has been swift with some calling it appalling and hostile to users.
—Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
Qatar 2022 was an abomination in so many ways, a World Cup staged in a nation roughly the size of Connecticut, with an appalling human rights record, but the football was frequently thrilling.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 13 June 2026
The only thing comparable is the immediate aftermath of the First World War, when, again, there was a lot of turnover and changes in the party system as Britain tried to digest that appalling crisis.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for appalling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Anand Menon, Time, 13 June 2026
Backlash over Anthropic’s plan to degrade responses for prompts linked to high-risk responses has been swift with some calling it appalling and hostile to users.
—Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
Qatar 2022 was an abomination in so many ways, a World Cup staged in a nation roughly the size of Connecticut, with an appalling human rights record, but the football was frequently thrilling.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 13 June 2026
The only thing comparable is the immediate aftermath of the First World War, when, again, there was a lot of turnover and changes in the party system as Britain tried to digest that appalling crisis.
—David Frum, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for appalling
Cite this Entry
“Appalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/appalling. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
