1
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
opening your mouth to show me your half-chewed food is absolutely appalling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent
appalling crimes against humanity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in shocking
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
conditions inside the house overrun with cats simply appalled animal control officers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of appalling
Mary Laporte, Hartford Courant, 19 Mar. 2025
The outrageous things women had to deal with in trying to break into the climbing world are appalling.
—Maya Silver, Outside Online, 16 Mar. 2025
For the majority of the season, Mike White, the show’s creator, has teased Tim’s impulse to commit appalling acts, rendering his fantasies in bloody, realistic fashion.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
The Trump administration’s task force to combat antisemitism pulled $400 million in federal grants and contracts from Columbia University this month in response to the school’s appalling mismanagement of the abuse of Jewish students by anti-Israel activists.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for appalling
Adjective
The attack on their liberty is an appalling breach of trust and a breakdown of our traditional welcome.
—Mary Laporte, Hartford Courant, 19 Mar. 2025
The outrageous things women had to deal with in trying to break into the climbing world are appalling.
—Maya Silver, Outside Online, 16 Mar. 2025
For the majority of the season, Mike White, the show’s creator, has teased Tim’s impulse to commit appalling acts, rendering his fantasies in bloody, realistic fashion.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2025
The Trump administration’s task force to combat antisemitism pulled $400 million in federal grants and contracts from Columbia University this month in response to the school’s appalling mismanagement of the abuse of Jewish students by anti-Israel activists.
—The Editors, National Review, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for appalling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for appalling
Adjective
-
The fridge was smelly and disgusting before it was replaced about a week later.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Few things in this war have been more morally disgusting than the present hunt after traitors and Quislings.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
The zombies are terrifying, and every situation our heroes find themselves in is a horrific, life-or-death struggle.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
3 May 2025
-
The fact that, in 2013, Ulman survived a horrific bus crash that left her with permanent disabilities has also played a role in her process.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
2 May 2025
Verb
-
Jung-bae wound up in a room of three, with Player 001 and some rando — but Player 001 choked the stranger to death in time to reduce their head count, shocking Jung-bae more than a bit.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
26 Dec. 2024
-
Fox News Digital obtained shocking audio between Cyrus and his estranged wife where the country crooner is heard berating his Australian ex and using profane language.—
Ashley Hume,
Fox News,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Councilmember Vivian Moreno said the timing on the prostitution detectives seems awful, with prostitution appearing to have gotten worse in recent months on Dalbergia Street in Barrio Logan.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2025
-
This background informs Idles’ rebellious reflex, whereas awful American rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Green Day are merely bratty.—
Armond White,
National Review,
7 May 2025
Adjective
-
For some, watching the film might seem like a gruesome voyeuristic act, even if the scene in question is not a part of the final cut.—
Jane Onyanga-Omara,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
-
David Carpenter was sentenced to death in 1984 for the murders of more than half a dozen people along Northern California hiking trails between 1979 and 1981, a gruesome spree that earned him the nickname Trailside Killer.—
Hannah Wiley,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
Big, wonderful, funny, horrible, strange, sad, great life.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 May 2025
-
One of our group hunted it on a rainy afternoon — traditionally a horrible time to bag a bird — and killed a 3-year-old tom. —A.M. Don’t Become Overly Reliant on Your Cameras Cameras aren’t magic.—
Andrew McKean,
Outdoor Life,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
Transgender kids, especially under the current president, are facing terrible rights losses and bigotry.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 May 2025
-
Such legislation is meant to destabilize Pakistan’s internal politics, which is in no one’s interests, except those who promoted such a terrible idea in the first place.—
Christopher Shays,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2025
Adjective
-
For years, raw sewage from Mexico has poured across the border into Southern California, fouling beaches, sickening residents and sparking diplomatic as well as environmental concerns.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 May 2025
-
And once the sickening jolts of the combat takeoff had ended and Bui slowly grew accustomed to the noise and the pressure of the C-130, the taste of KFC stopped his crying.—
Jennifer Brookland,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Appalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/appalling. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share