appalling

adjective

ap·​pall·​ing ə-ˈpȯ-liŋ 

: inspiring horror, dismay, or disgust

living under appalling conditions

appalling savagery

appallingly adverb

Synonyms

• disgusting
• awful
• horrible
• sickening
• ugly
• shocking
• hideous
• obscene
• dreadful
• obnoxious
• offensive
• nasty

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

Another Hertz customer had a more appalling experience. —Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025

But the latest hostage videos, showing emaciated captives in a, frankly, appalling state have provoked shock and outrage across Israel. —Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2025

Chalk that up, at least partially, to the club’s appalling 2012 campaign: a 69-93 finish under one-and-done manager Bobby Valentine. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 20 July 2025

The minstrelsy of late-night-TV activism Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart protested the cancellation by CBS of his cohort Stephen Colbert’s Late Show by staging an appalling musical routine on The Daily Show, circling the wagons in Colbert’s defense. —Armond White, National Review, 25 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of appall

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for appalling

• enthralling
• forestalling
• installing
• recalling
• balling
• bawling
• brawling
• calling
• colling
• crawling
• drawling
• falling

Kids Definition

appalling

adjective

ap·​pall·​ing

ə-ˈpȯl-iŋ

: inspiring horror or dismay : shocking

appallingly adverb