appall

variants also appal

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb appall contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of appall are daunt, dismay, and horrify. While all these words mean "to unnerve or deter by arousing fear, apprehension, or aversion," appall implies that one is faced with that which perturbs, confounds, or shocks.

I am appalled by your behavior

When can daunt be used instead of appall?

The meanings of daunt and appall largely overlap; however, daunt suggests a cowing, disheartening, or frightening in a venture requiring courage.

a cliff that would daunt the most intrepid climber

When is it sensible to use dismay instead of appall?

The words dismay and appall can be used in similar contexts, but dismay implies that one is disconcerted and at a loss as to how to deal with something.

dismayed at the size of the job

In what contexts can horrify take the place of appall?

In some situations, the words horrify and appall are roughly equivalent. However, horrify stresses a reaction of horror or revulsion.

was horrified by such wanton cruelty

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 appall Still, there is plenty here that should appall both Democrats and Republicans. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Apr. 2025 Dismay or appall you, sure, but never surprise you. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024 That kind of appalls me to think that people need not expect that of themselves. David Marchese Photograph By Mamadi Doumbouya, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2024 What appalls him now is a lack of accountability in Netanyahu’s government. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2024 Kunzig: Alejandra, the weather this year kept finding fresh ways to appall us. Susan Goldberg, National Geographic, 9 Dec. 2021 The whiteness of the fantasy village will appall some — including, presumably, those who protested Gelman’s leadership of The Wing, that women-only co-working operation whose own workforce was notoriously segregated by race. Grace Lavery, Curbed, 20 Apr. 2022 Are there some whose only aim is to appall and disturb? Mark Shanahan, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Dec. 2022 These attacks weren't meant to appall liberals; they were meant to entice conservatives. Grayson Quay, The Week, 21 July 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for appall
Verb
  • The prospective repercussions terrify the corner of the AI universe concerned about safety, industry experts said, particularly as leading players pursue artificial general intelligence, or AGI, which is technology that rivals or exceeds human intelligence.
    Hayden Field,Jonathan Vanian,Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 14 May 2025
  • The radiotherapy had caused swelling in my brain—apparently a normal response, but still terrifying.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
Verb
  • No amount of vacuuming or sweeping brightens and freshens upholstery and flooring like a steam cleaner does.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 May 2025
  • Sears, Roebuck and Company offered five-bedroom Craftsman-style homes — complete with lumber, siding, windows, doors, shingles, flooring, even the kitchen sink — for $1,945.
    Sarah Sekula, USA Today, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • The goal of strengthening Washington’s presence should be to reassure partners that U.S. pressure is designed to create stronger alliances, not to pave the way for abandonment, as well as to ensure that resisting China is viable for countries that are frightened by Beijing.
    A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The American Declaration of Independence and Constitution frightened monarchies and despots around the world without a single bullet or gunboat.
    Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Start to say no to distractions that do not serve your higher purpose, and start saying yes to the things that challenge you, stretch you and even scare you a little.
    Melissa Sierra, Forbes.com, 7 May 2025
  • What scares and excites you about where AI is headed for the next generation of artists?
    Lily Marks, Time, 5 May 2025
Verb
  • The post shocked many people and quickly garnered hundreds of outraged comments from readers telling the woman not to do it.
    Latoya Gayle, People.com, 3 May 2025
  • But America’s allies and trading partners have been shocked by the extent and speed of the change.
    Ned Temko, Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • She was disgusted by the liberties these people took, and much annoyed with her old husband.
    Charles Portis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
  • All of them disgust me to be quite honest with you. KARL: All right.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Economic growth contracted by 0.3%, according to the topline figure, which horrified investors.
    Jim Edwards, Fortune, 1 May 2025
  • The effortless, terrifying strength of our great ape cousins seems to horrify and fascinate us, but gorillas are better known in the natural world as gentle giants.
    Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The hapless student, of course, could not afford to offend this senior professor and said something polite and carried on with his talk.
    Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Amanda immediately feels offended by her sister’s comment.
    Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Appall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/appall. Accessed 18 May. 2025.

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