appalling 1 of 2

adjective

ə-ˈpȯ-liŋ How to pronounce appalling (audio)
Definition of appallingnext
1
as in disgusting
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment opening your mouth to show me your half-chewed food is absolutely appalling

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2
as in horrific
extremely disturbing or repellent appalling crimes against humanity

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

appalling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of appall
as in shocking
to cause an unpleasant surprise for conditions inside the house overrun with cats simply appalled animal control officers

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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
Adjective
These individuals were held in appalling conditions at the ICE holding facility in Broadview. — Jesus Chuy Garcia, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026 For customers like Murphy, anything is better than that appalling Reuben at his local deli. — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
Verb
The young Forster recoiled from the school’s culture of authoritarianism and militaristic chauvinism, which may have found expression in the students’ often appalling attitudes toward their own mothers. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026 Of all the recent poster boys for appalling misbehavior by the State Police, Michael Proctor would of course rank number one. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for appalling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for appalling
  1. disgusting
  2. horrific
  3. shocking
  4. awful
  5. gruesome
  6. horrifying
  7. horrible
  8. terrible
Adjective
  • Everyone starts tasting the varied, apparently disgusting, bottles.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The third branch of government did its job, and that should be a welcome sight for all Americans given the disgusting and dangerous attacks on our democracy by the federal government.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of disgusting
Adjective
  • First, Biden’s open borders let this monster into our country, then sanctuary politicians in New York refused to hand him over to ICE and released him after a previous arrest three months before this horrific crime.
    — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Travis Barker has an unfortunate connection to the horrific plane crash in Greenacres, Florida, on Sunday that killed all nine people on board — two crew and seven passengers.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of horrific
Verb
  • Stevenson sprinted into the end zone for a 48-yard score as the clock expired, shocking the entire Soldier Field crowd as the Bears were only up 20-14.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • While hundreds of thousands of people marched peacefully, pockets of violence erupted, shocking the country, as protesters smashed shopfronts and set Limoges Town Hall on fire.
    — Chloe Taylor,Jenni Reid, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of shocking
Adjective
  • Losing to the Tampa Bay Bucs starting an undrafted rookie quarterback was awful, and gagging the home game in overtime to the Awful Arizona Cardinals was worse; coming back in the fourth quarter to beat the Colts is almost just as bad.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The only sign his group was listening to the awful things their friend/boss/son was being accused of was the very active facial expressions of Brand’s wife, Laura.
    — Luke Jones, Vanity Fair, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of awful
Adjective
  • Thunder star Jalen Williams, the team’s second-leading scorer and best all-around defender during its title run two seasons ago, fractured a fibula and dislocated his left ankle in a gruesome injury Sunday.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Rescue workers continue to search in the wreckage for survivors and bodies, with witnesses describing a gruesome scene.
    — Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of gruesome
Verb
  • On Christmas Day, Neon will weigh in with the best of the three, Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial, a humorous and ultimately horrifying account of 20 years of AI evolution and a scorching portrait of OpenAI founder Sam Altman.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The crime scene was gruesome, horrifying those who were summoned to the Second Street home in the wake of the attacks.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of horrifying
Adjective
  • Their monthlong travel by ship was under horrible conditions.
    — Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • While the fire was horrible, Hong said some blessings have emerged from the tragedy.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of horrible
Adjective
  • The bat lay on its back, soggy and wretched, here in the waning hours of this terrible day.
    — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
  • An ugly fight between teammates during training camp was a terrible start to a season that officially began with a loss against North Carolina, a game in Dublin that TCU essentially sold, against the desires of Dykes.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of terrible

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Cite this Entry

“Appalling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/appalling. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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